| "Legs Burnt Off, 65 Percent Burns, A Seven Week Coma And Scot's Writer Ian Colquhoun Says it Was Worth It!" |
| Written by Stephen Richards |
| Thursday, 26 November 2009 12:24 |
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For anyone suffering the loss of a limb they will have experienced the gamut of human emotion. Yet when gifted Scottish author and military historian Ian Colquhoun suffered the loss of two limbs, his legs, in a vicious attack he said it was the best thing to happen to him.
For anyone suffering the loss of a limb they will have experienced the gamut of human emotion. Yet when gifted Scottish author and military historian Ian Colquhoun suffered the loss of two limbs, his legs, in a vicious attack he said it was the best thing to happen to him. After surviving a mind-numbing attack that saw his body suffer 65 percent burns, somehow Ian Colquhoun fought on. Given the last rites three times, Ian had thousands of people praying for his life all over the world ... all thanks to the internet. Speaking about the incident which led to Ian losing his legs he says, "I had just landed a new job working in a Dundalk (Ireland) warehouse as a picker; I was making a new start after living in Scotland all of my life. I struck lucky in dating an Irish girl and took her to a Christmas party. After falling asleep on the couch I ended up being viciously attacked, set on fire and left for dead." Ian, formerly from Livingston in Scotland, now resides in Edinburgh, and since his recovery he is a promising up and coming published author, freelance journalist, actor and specialist amputee stuntman. Despite overwhelming evidence, no one was convicted of this ghastly offence against him and as a result of this he received no criminal injuries compensation. The former warehouseman has turned his life around since his ten month stay in hospital following the incident in Eire. Prior to being fitted with made to measure prosthetic limbs he spent two-and-a-half years in a wheelchair. After appearing on the UK's 'Richard And Judy Show' and having his book "Burnt" reviewed as 'well written' by Richard Madeley, Ian went on to star as a stuntman in a big screen movie 'Ocean Of Fear' as a wounded sailor. The film is about the USS Indianapolis, a US navy cruiser that was sunk in Guam in'45. Ian Colquhoun says, "I thought what they said about my legs being off was a stunt! I pulled back the sheets of my hospital bed and almost passed out with shock. I'll never forget the horrific moment I saw my legs had been amputated. As a young man who loved playing football, going out to parties and had a new girlfriend, I was utterly devastated. That day I didn't know if I wanted to carry on living; I couldn't see a future. Yet now, years on from that terrible day, incredibly my life is better than ever. Losing my legs did turn the whole lot upside down, but now I see it as the best thing to happen to me and made me into a better person." Ian wrote his autobiography "Burnt" in the hope that it will inspire those that have undergone amputations. He hopes it shows those who are devastated by such a loss that their life has not come to an abrupt ending because of this. If Ian can become a stuntman without legs to stand on then there is hope for anyone who has endured such a calamity. About the Author: Author, military historian and double leg amputee Ian Colquhoun is a strength to all. Read his uplifting story here in his autobiography "Burnt". |