On 12th September 2006, a bomb blast in Afghanistan's Helmand Province left Lance Bombardier Ben Parkinson seriously injured.
Ben, 25, lost both of his legs, the use of his left arm and was left severaly brain damaged which left him unable to speak.
Since then he has had to learn to walk again on prosthetic legs, undergo major surgery to fix his shattered spine and teach himself to talk once more.
But he has never been able to speak since the incident. Until now. He has been donated a £2,500 state-of-the-art ‘Lightwriter’ device by Toby Churchill Ltd at their factory in Over, Cambridgeshire which allows him to talk on the phone for the first time and send SMS messages.
Incredibly, the MoD gave Ben just £152,150 - just over half the maximum £285,000 - in compensation for his injuries. But his mother successfully fought the MoD, and his compensation was increased to £540,000.
The number of British fatalities in Afghanistan now stands at 232.
Injured Army hero Ben Parkinson utters his first words since bomb blast... using hi-tech speech synthesiser
By Daily Mail Reporter
11th November 2009
Daily Mail
A hero soldier left unable to speak because of brain damage suffered in an Afghan mine blast has uttered his first words - using a new hi-tech speech synthesiser.
Lance Bombardier Ben Parkinson, 25, lost both his legs, the use of his left arm and suffered 37 other injuries after the explosion in Helmand Province.
The member of the 7th Parachute Regiment spent three months unconscious in a military hospital before he came round.
Brave: Lance Bombardier Ben Parkinson, with parents Diane and Andy , holds the 'Lightwriter' device that finally allows him to speak after losing his voice in 2006
L/Bdr Parkinson defied doctors to survive but still suffered brain damage which left him unable to speak following the blast on September 12, 2006.
Since then he has had to learn to walk again on prosthetic legs, undergo major surgery to fix his shattered spine and teach himself to talk once more.
He has been donated a £2,500 state-of-the-art ‘Lightwriter’ device by Toby Churchill Ltd at their factory in Over, Cambridgeshire.
The Lightwriter SL40 allows him to talk on the phone for the first time, send SMS messages and speeds up conversations thanks to predictive speech software.
It also has a choice of high quality Acapela voices for improved intelligibility and intonation, and an easy-to-use adjustable keypad.
L/Bdr Parkinson, who lives with parents Diane, 51 and Andy, 50, twin brother Danny, sister Emma, 18, and older brother Phil, 28, in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, said the new machine was ‘brilliant’.
Progress: L/Bdr Parkinson also taught himself to walk with false limbs, above
He said: ‘I promise not to set up an account with the local pizza parlour.
‘The first person I am going to phone is Lucy, an old friend from Birmingham.
‘It is important to me to have this new machine because I will be able to call and text the lads in Afghanistan.’
L/Bdr Parkinson suffered a brain injury, fractures to his skull, cheek, nose, jaw and pelvis, fractured vertebrae, and serious damage to his spleen and chest when his Land Rover was hit.
Mrs Parkinson successfully fought the MoD to have his original compensation of £152,150 - just over half the maximum £285,000 - increased to £540,000.
Members of the 7th Parachute Regiment in Afghanistan
Today she said the new device would help transform her son’s life for the better.
She said: ‘Ben’s biggest problem following his accident was his brain injuries and the fact his face and voice muscles degenerated while he was unconscious.
‘It took him eight months to even make a sound after he regained consciousness but he gradually improved with the use of a Lightwriter - it changed his life.
‘We are now hoping this new model can help take his speech to the next level and eventually he will not need to use one to communicate at all.
‘It’s been very frustrating for him because he is still Ben inside but has struggled to communicate the way he feels.’
L/Bdr Parkinson currently spends one and a half hours every day with a physiotherapy plus two hours a multi-gym which his parents have set up at his home.
He also undergoes speech therapy for one hour a week and regularly attends his local limb fitting centre.
Ben Parkinson is pictured before and after he was injured serving in Afghanistan
He had previously been using a basic synthesiser - similar to Professor Stephen Hawking’s speech device - in order to communicate with friends and family.
Earlier versions of the machine, which he manually programmed with his good arm, left Ben frustrated as he would find them slow and cumbersome.
But he hopes the new device will allow him to return to his regiment in Colchester, Essex, next March and take up light duties.
David Collison, Chairman of Toby Churchill Ltd, said he hoped the latest device would help L/Bdr Parkinson achieve his goal of speaking unaided.
He said: ‘The launch of this product heralds an exciting new era for the company.
‘I intend to continue building on this - we have a very strong research and development team and a clearly defined plan for more new products to be developed and launched over the next three years.’
dailymail.co.uk
Ben, 25, lost both of his legs, the use of his left arm and was left severaly brain damaged which left him unable to speak.
Since then he has had to learn to walk again on prosthetic legs, undergo major surgery to fix his shattered spine and teach himself to talk once more.
But he has never been able to speak since the incident. Until now. He has been donated a £2,500 state-of-the-art ‘Lightwriter’ device by Toby Churchill Ltd at their factory in Over, Cambridgeshire which allows him to talk on the phone for the first time and send SMS messages.
Incredibly, the MoD gave Ben just £152,150 - just over half the maximum £285,000 - in compensation for his injuries. But his mother successfully fought the MoD, and his compensation was increased to £540,000.
The number of British fatalities in Afghanistan now stands at 232.
Injured Army hero Ben Parkinson utters his first words since bomb blast... using hi-tech speech synthesiser
By Daily Mail Reporter
11th November 2009
Daily Mail
A hero soldier left unable to speak because of brain damage suffered in an Afghan mine blast has uttered his first words - using a new hi-tech speech synthesiser.
Lance Bombardier Ben Parkinson, 25, lost both his legs, the use of his left arm and suffered 37 other injuries after the explosion in Helmand Province.
The member of the 7th Parachute Regiment spent three months unconscious in a military hospital before he came round.
Brave: Lance Bombardier Ben Parkinson, with parents Diane and Andy , holds the 'Lightwriter' device that finally allows him to speak after losing his voice in 2006
L/Bdr Parkinson defied doctors to survive but still suffered brain damage which left him unable to speak following the blast on September 12, 2006.
Since then he has had to learn to walk again on prosthetic legs, undergo major surgery to fix his shattered spine and teach himself to talk once more.
He has been donated a £2,500 state-of-the-art ‘Lightwriter’ device by Toby Churchill Ltd at their factory in Over, Cambridgeshire.
The Lightwriter SL40 allows him to talk on the phone for the first time, send SMS messages and speeds up conversations thanks to predictive speech software.
It also has a choice of high quality Acapela voices for improved intelligibility and intonation, and an easy-to-use adjustable keypad.
L/Bdr Parkinson, who lives with parents Diane, 51 and Andy, 50, twin brother Danny, sister Emma, 18, and older brother Phil, 28, in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, said the new machine was ‘brilliant’.
Progress: L/Bdr Parkinson also taught himself to walk with false limbs, above
He said: ‘I promise not to set up an account with the local pizza parlour.
‘The first person I am going to phone is Lucy, an old friend from Birmingham.
‘It is important to me to have this new machine because I will be able to call and text the lads in Afghanistan.’
L/Bdr Parkinson suffered a brain injury, fractures to his skull, cheek, nose, jaw and pelvis, fractured vertebrae, and serious damage to his spleen and chest when his Land Rover was hit.
Mrs Parkinson successfully fought the MoD to have his original compensation of £152,150 - just over half the maximum £285,000 - increased to £540,000.
Members of the 7th Parachute Regiment in Afghanistan
Today she said the new device would help transform her son’s life for the better.
She said: ‘Ben’s biggest problem following his accident was his brain injuries and the fact his face and voice muscles degenerated while he was unconscious.
‘It took him eight months to even make a sound after he regained consciousness but he gradually improved with the use of a Lightwriter - it changed his life.
‘We are now hoping this new model can help take his speech to the next level and eventually he will not need to use one to communicate at all.
‘It’s been very frustrating for him because he is still Ben inside but has struggled to communicate the way he feels.’
L/Bdr Parkinson currently spends one and a half hours every day with a physiotherapy plus two hours a multi-gym which his parents have set up at his home.
He also undergoes speech therapy for one hour a week and regularly attends his local limb fitting centre.
Ben Parkinson is pictured before and after he was injured serving in Afghanistan
He had previously been using a basic synthesiser - similar to Professor Stephen Hawking’s speech device - in order to communicate with friends and family.
Earlier versions of the machine, which he manually programmed with his good arm, left Ben frustrated as he would find them slow and cumbersome.
But he hopes the new device will allow him to return to his regiment in Colchester, Essex, next March and take up light duties.
David Collison, Chairman of Toby Churchill Ltd, said he hoped the latest device would help L/Bdr Parkinson achieve his goal of speaking unaided.
He said: ‘The launch of this product heralds an exciting new era for the company.
‘I intend to continue building on this - we have a very strong research and development team and a clearly defined plan for more new products to be developed and launched over the next three years.’
dailymail.co.uk
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