Paralympics Ireland has launched a new video, featuring Paralympic shooter, Seán Baldwin in which he talks about his journey from becoming an amputee to competing in the Paralympics.
Speaking about the video, Baldwin – who featured at the London 2012 Games - said: “The day that changed everything for me – November 27th, 2003 – was the day that I became an above the knee amputee. I lost my leg while I was serving with the Irish Defence Forces and when I got to hospital after the accident, I remember being told lots of bad news – the first of this was that I only had a few hours to live! Thankfully, I’m still here though.
“Later, after I had woken up from an induced coma, I realized how bad my injuries were - the most obvious of these was that l had lost my right leg from above the knee. When I woke up and realized what had happened to me, I found it very hard to find a bright side, but that didn't stop me from looking.
“Sport has helped me every step of the way since. It took me two years after the accident to take up shooting, but I set it as one of my goals and I achieved it. If I can inspire a generation - or even just one person - to take up a sport and follow what they love, then I have done my job. That’s more than sport to me,” he said.
The video is part of Paralympics Ireland's #MoreThanSport series which tells the stories of Ireland's athletes ahead of this summer's Paralympic Games in Rio.
