AN INSPIRATIONAL Hampshire dad is to mark the ten-year anniversary of becoming a quadruple amputee with two epic challenges.
Alex Lewis thought he had 'man flu' but collapsed and was rushed to hospital where he was given just a three percent chance of survival.
He had contracted Strep A, followed by Septicaemia, which led to him having all four limbs amputated and facial reconstruction.
READ MORE: Quadruple amputee warns parents about Strep A
Since then, the 42-year-old has gone on to achieve some remarkable feats and helped various charities.
He cycled and climbed up Ethiopia's highest mountain, jumped 15,000ft out of an aeroplane and kayaked 200 miles through the icy waters of Greenland among other adventures.
His foundation The Alex Lewis Trust has provided hundreds of children with revolutionary prosthetics and is now looking to set up a scheme for amputees in war-torn Ukraine.
But 2023 will see Alex, an in-demand public speaker, take on his biggest challenges yet in a bid to highlight assisted technology and the university research into it and help two charities.
In March, he will attempt to travel 500km across Salisbury Plain on a custom-made hand-cycle in under 24 hours.
Three months later, Alex will attempt to become the first quadruple amputee to solo row from Falmouth to Dover before cycling back from Cantebury to Padstow.
The events are in aid of the Murray Parish Trust, the Hampshire charity set up by actors Jim Murray and Sarah Parish to advance paediatric emergency medicine following the loss of their eldest daughter Ella-Jayne and Hospitality Action, the chosen charity of The Pig hotelier Robin Hutson, a friend and major supporter of Alex.
Alex, who lives in Stockbridge with his wife Lucy Townsend and son Sam, told the Daily Echo: "It's going to be an amazing year full of adventure and hopefully doing some good for people who need it.
"Never in a million years would I have attempted this with legs and arms, but I'm not the man I was.
"It turns out this is the best gig in the world. What was deemed an absolute tragedy has turned out to be the greatest journey."
Alex hopes his efforts will inspire others to join his fundraising and take on their own challenge or just move more than usual.
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