Injured Afghanistan blast soldier 'lucky to be alive'
A British soldier who lost both his legs in a bomb blast in Afghanistan has said he feels lucky to be alive.
Cpt Nick Beighton, from Shrewsbury, formerly of 28 Engineer Regiment, Royal Engineers, stood on an improvised explosive device in October 2009.
He is now recovering at Headley Court rehabilitation centre for injured servicemen in Surrey.
"Live life to the full because you never know when your life could be taken away from you," he said.
Mr Beighton said the injury had made him re-assess how he identified himself.
"I used to stand head and shoulders above everyone else, you get used to it.
"Suddenly to be sat in a wheelchair 4ft 11ins (1m 47cms) tall, it's a funny feeling. You lose all sense of confidence.
"The sense of yourself is defined by who you were and what you could do and it's suddenly all stripped away. You have to rebuild it and its a very slow process."