War Hero Who Lost Both Legs Has Been Made To Wait Seven Months For An Operation

A war hero who lost both legs when he stepped on a roadside bomb in Afghanistan has been made to wait seven months for an operation to help him walk again. Clive Smith, 29, was leading the 33 Engineer Regiment on a patrol in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand Province in October 2010 when he triggered the IED and lost his lower limbs. After returning to the UK, doctors fitted him with prosthetic legs and he began to walk unaided again. In September last year, Clive, from Cannock, Staffs., even took part in the gruelling Invictus Games for injured servicemen. But his health declined in January this year and he was confined to a wheelchair when agonising blisters made it impossible for him to put on his legs. Six months later he underwent surgery to repair the skin, but he will have to wait at least another month for new casts to be moulded for his prosthetic legs. Yesterday (Tues), he said: "It's been tough. I've been a full-time prosthetics user for four years and now I'm wheelchair-bound. We were told we would get the same level of care for my prosthetics on the NHS, but it just hasn't been.”