Page 9 - You Magazine – Issue 1

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FEATURE
What are my feelings on the word “disabled”?
“It’s not a term I use. I don’t feel disabled, in fact I feel more bloody capable than half the people I see around me.”
Having previously lived in fear of sharks, Paul has now become
a fierce advocate for them. In 2011 he penned a book on his journey and following three years working as a diving trainer, he stepped away from fulltime Navy service
a year later.
These days Paul earns a
crust as both teacher and
student, travelling the world as a motivational speaker while at the same performing hosting duties with the Discovery Channel’s Shark Week documentaries. His side hustle is learning about the wider world through television work with National Geographic which even saw him become part of an anti- poaching team in Africa.
Great expectations
While he now wears prosthetics where his leg and arm used to be, Paul says that for the most part he is at peace with how his life has changed.
He does not have PTSD, doesn’t suffer from flashbacks and to
this day has never spoken with
a professional counsellor about his experiences. This doesn’t
make a lot of sense to him but he suspects it might be because “I’m a little bit broken”.
While he still has phantom pains in his foot and hands, his biggest ongoing issue relates to the toll his prosthetics take on his body when out walking, running or at the gym. The skin underneath gets worn easily and because he is reliant on his new leg there is little chance for it to heal.
While he concedes “it’s a bit of a pain in the arse”, Paul considers this just another hurdle to be overcome.
“You can’t just get comfortable in your misery and say that’s
just how it is. That’s bullsh*t. I’m always on the internet looking for new technology. I actually have
a meeting today with a guy who has created a hemp-based limb socket. Instead of being rigid like most sockets, there’s all this stored energy in this one that flexes with your body."
“That’s what you’ve got to do, you’ve always got to look at what’s the next technology coming out, what’s the next material...thinking outside the
box by asking ‘what can I do
to make my life easier?’. ‘Is there an ointment I can use that
is good for my skin?’. All that little stuff.”
Yet perhaps the biggest lessons he has taken away from his experiences is not to concern himself with what others think of him and to never accept failure until all opportunities have been exhausted.
Paul says many of those who see him jump in and out of boats and swimming with sharks in
his dive gear say they don’t see him as being any less abled
than anybody else. Others see him walk down the street and stare at what he terms his “big black robot leg and a big black robot hand”.
“I can either mope around upset and embarrassed because everyone is staring at me or I can hold my head high, pin my shoulders back and walk with purpose and a smile. When I do that people aren’t saying ‘that poor disabled guy’ all of a sudden, they’re saying ‘holy sh*t, look at that cyborg!’”
You MAY 2020 9