Thomas Birch
Thomas, a Marine posted in Afghanistan, suffered a severe head injury in an horrific accident in his jeep in November 2006. His chance of survival was touch and go. He was transferred, first, to Camp Bastion in Afghanistan, and then his parents were flown out to Oman to the specialist Brain Injury Unit. Eventually, they flew back together to Birmingham Hospital at below 10,000 feet because of how higher air pressure may have affected his injury.
Despite the seriousness of his injuries and the fact that he has no memory of his time in Afghanistan, Thomas has – after a lengthy rehabilitation – learned to walk and talk again. What’s even more impressive is that he has now qualified as a gym instructor.
Unsure about whether he could cope with the workload of the Level 2 Gym Instructor course at South Nottingham College, Thomas worried that his work wasn’t good enough, but he passed with flying colours.
He is now taking his Level 3 award, which involves exams, case studies and projects in advanced fitness instruction, nutrition and weight management, fitness assessment, business, training in different environments and client retention.
Thomas devotes a lot of time volunteering for the charity, Headway, to help people who have suffered severe brain injuries, like himself, to realise that lives can be rebuilt and something can be made of life after suffering such a trauma.
“Learning has stimulated my mind and got me socialising with new people”, said Thomas. “It’s taken my mind off of what happened. I feel that’s why I have come so far in such a short space of time.”