Paul Smith — a Navy veteran, OBE and a true inspiration
Paul Smith is a 60-year-old inspiration. He was put up for adoption at birth and was eventually placed with a family when he was six months old.
Bullied perpetually throughout his school life, Paul struggled to gain acceptance as a child — but his suffering inspired him to make a difference.
He had his first taste of fundraising at the age of seven when, after seeing images of the famine in Biafra, he raised 200 hundred Australian dollars for the appeal.
Just 12 days after leaving school, he joined the Royal Navy in 1974, aged 16, and served for 17 years. He was involved in the Falklands War and the first Gulf Campaign.
Paul remained in the Navy until a life-changing road traffic incident in 1991 — a head-on collision as an oncoming driver was overtaking on a blind turn — in which he suffered serious, life-threatening injuries to his head, neck and chest, as well as other damage to his shoulders, hips and knee.
These horrendous injuries left him suffering from lock-in syndrome for the next 12 years. During that time, he became unaware of his family and afraid of strangers.
It was a small miracle when he emerged from the illness in 2003 and entered a long and gruelling recovery period. He gradually re-learned how to complete day-to-day tasks such as brushing his teeth, dressing and washing, all while living with constant migraine pressure on his brain, PTSD and depression.
A year after emerging from lock-in syndrome, Paul decided he wanted to dedicate his life to working and raising money for charities.
So far, he has completed 15 challenges, raising over £2.3 million for charities in aid of children suffering from life-threatening illnesses in the process.
Now he is training to undertake his latest challenge, a sponsored row across the English Channel, in the hope of raising £250,000 for Breast Cancer Haven, in memory of his friend Marjorie Anne Walker.
When speaking about this latest challenge, he says: “I don’t want this to be about me, it’s never about me, this is about remembering Marjorie Anne and the inspiration that she gave to so many people, including me.”
He is a truly remarkable man who, even when faced with the harshest adversity, has put the lives and wellbeing of others before his own.
