'Craig Does Not Want to Have to Rely On Anyone' ; E Hull: Sergeant Takes First Steps Since Losing a Leg

Hull Daily Mail › December 17, 2010

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Summary

A SOLDIER has taken his first steps since losing a leg in a Taliban bomb blast in Afghanistan. Sergeant Craig Gadd, of east Hull, was hurt after stepping on the device two months ago. Now he is learning to walk again after being given a temporary prosthetic left leg. Sergeant Gadd, 38, is receiving intensive treatment at the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre at Headley Court in Surrey. His partner, Dolly Dalton, who is expecting their first child next month, said: "It is just fantastic. "Nobody thought he would be at this stage so quickly. I don't think he can quite believe it either. "We are all totally amazed and absolutely over-themoon for him." Ms Dalton told how Sgt Gadd - a self-employed builder in civilian life - phoned to tell her the news. "He was like a little kid," she said. "He was pleased as punch. You could just tell there was a great big smile on his face." Ms Dalton, 41, said her partner longs to be able to complete everyday tasks. She said: "Craig just wants to be able to get up and make himself a cup of coffee.

s "He does not want to have to rely on people. He is a very strong willed man and does not like having to take a back seat." As previously reported in the Mail, Sgt Gadd - a member of 299 (Parachute Squadron) Royal Engineers - had been in Helmand Province for just two weeks when he was injured. He had been sent to the war zone as a commander in charge of an eight-man bomb-searching team. The force of the explosion on October 18 ripped Sgt Gadd's left foot off. Surgeons at Camp Bastion, the British Army's main base in Afghanistan, later amputated the leg above the knee. After being flown to Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Sgt Gadd was allowed to return home to his partner for a couple of weeks. Now, he is working a full day at Headley Court, although he has evenings to himself. Ms Dalton said: "We have nightly chats on the phone and we tell each other about our days.

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'Craig Does Not Want to Have to Rely On Anyone' ; E Hull: Sergeant Takes First Steps Since Losing a Leg

"It is very hard for both of us being separated again, espec...

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