Croatia
Through the adjustment of returning to 'normal' life with one leg, Heather found a practical problem that she felt she could solve.
Her residual limb was fitted with an artificial limb but due to the nature of the wound changing in shape and size, the prosthetic leg had to be continually replaced, whilst the old leg would be discarded. Heather realised that many redundant prosthesis would never find another use and that there must be literally thousands out there just waiting for a new home. With her experiences in the former Yugoslavia, Heather knew that those redundant limbs would be more than welcome in Yugoslavia and other areas with similar problems.Heather instigated a nationwide UK appeal for the donation of unwanted prostheses then employed the services of the inmates at Brixton prison to dismantle the limbs and make them ready for transport. In October 1994, just a year after her accident, the first convoy of artificial limbs and medical equipment left for Zagreb. Arriving at the Institute of Prosthetics in Zagreb the limbs were now ready to be fitted. Over 400,000 amputees and survivors of landmine explosions have been helped around the world since the first Convoy left the UK.
Heather would like to especially thank Dave Nix and his colleagues for helping her to deliver the first truck of limbs to the Former Yugoslavia. Without these huge hearted volunteers, who make the world a better place, our work would have been much more difficult to do.
Thank you.
Heather now works behind the scenes counseling amputees and the victims of landmines. No more landmines mine clearance operations, mine risk education programmes, mine clearance training and mine detection dog training programmes have been taken over by the Mines Awareness trust. To learn more about Mines Awareness Trust please visit www.minesawareness.org for more information.
