Man Lost Limbs Dumps
A Somerset dad who lost his a leg and both arms after an industrial accident has broken up with his girlfriend – because he didn’t want to be a ‘burden’ on her.
Jamie Mines, 34, split from the mother of his twins, Harley Ware, after deciding that his disabilities were becoming too much for her to deal with.
He moved out and now lives alone, though he regularly cares for their two daughters, Savannah and Isabella.
“We parted on good terms. I just didn’t want to be a burden – she had to deal with a lot, looking after me,” he said.
“I’m getting fitter each day. I take the girls to the park when they’re here, or we’ll go to Longleat safari park.
“They like being outdoors, which can be hard for me, because I get tired very quickly.
“But I’ve started going to the gym for an hour every morning, trying to get my energy levels back up to how they were before the accident.”
Jamie received his injuries in an incident in which he received a 13,000-volt shock while fixing a sheet metal roof. He ended up in an induced coma, spent ten weeks in intensive care and ended up losing a leg, both hands and a foot.
At the time he was a scaffolder and talented footballer, but found himself facing an entirely new set of challenges. Now, he struggles to live a normal life but is slowly getting himself back up to speed.
“I can cook for myself if it’s something that just needs to go on a baking tray in the oven, and I can boil veg and so on,” he said.
“I can pretty much do most things for myself – I can hoover the house, but the one thing I struggle with is dusting.”
As for caring for the kids – he feels like he is up to the task. “I have dressed the girls before, but it takes me about an hour to do,” said Jamie.
“So the carer helps me get them dressed and undressed, and helps with bathtimes and nappy changes and things like that.”
Aside from being a good dad to his kids, his dream is to become a paralympic runner. He trains every day to get his body in the best shape that it can be.
“I was up and about almost as soon as I had my second prosthetic leg fitted,” added Jamie.
“I took to it straight away. I was a bit wobbly at first, but it only took me an hour so to get used to it.
“The mind is your only barrier. A lot of people who need amputations in adulthood are quite scared of adapting to losing a limb. But I wasn’t scared or anything.”
“I do 20 minutes cycling, and I also work out my shoulders, chest and back,” said Jamie of his gym work.
“I also do a fair bit of hiking – I’ve walked up Cley Hill at Longleat a few times, and I do plan on walking up Snowdon at some point.
“Sports has been my life for such a long time. I’d like to be a Paralympic runner one day. I think now with Pistorius locked up, I could even win the gold.”
What an inspiration. Top work Jamie – and we’ll see you at the Paralympics.
