It has been a grueling journey from the depths of despair to finding a new life purpose.
And now Royal Navy veteran Martin Wood has shared his story to help others realise that despite how dark things may get, there are brighter times ahead.
Mr Wood, 51 and from North Walsham, has joined a national archery talent programme and hopes to represent the UK in the sport at the 2028 Paralympics in Los Angeles.
“Archery has saved my soul,” Mr Wood said.
“It meant I could do something I enjoy. After I became disabled I thought I had lost the ability for any sport.”
Mr Wood was in the Royal Navy for 23 years, serving as a weapons engineer and mechanic on vessels including HMS Alacrity and HMS Ark Royal.
He left the service “fit and healthy” and threw himself into a new job as a field service engineer.
But after five years he was forced to take time off after contracting pneumonia, and with too many empty hours on his hands, post-traumatic stress disorder (PDSD) started to emerge.
Mr Wood said: “I went through 32 weeks of therapy and they found lots of stuff going back to the late 1980s when I was down in the Falklands and dealing with a hurricane in Montserrat - it was so multilayered.”
“I’d go into a trace-like state and I’d try and escape from the house I was living in.
“I was reliving things from my military career and go into fight-or-flight mode.”
On one occasion when he was living in Mundesley, Mr Wood went into a fugue-like state when he went outside to put a rubbish bag in the bin.
When he finally regained consciousness, he found he had walked to Cromer with the bag still in his hand.
But the worst incident was when he fell down the stairs at his home and seriously damaged his legs, leaving him reliant on a wheelchair or mobility scooter.
But Mr Wood said a full recovery was impossible. He said his right leg was in constant agony and his left leg was also in pain.
He said: “I’ve got limited use of my legs. Both of my hips have got to be replaced because they’ve collapsed, having to compensate for the damage to my legs.
“I’m now requesting the hospital amputate my right leg because I live in pain 24 hours a day. It’s not a decision I’ve come to straight away.
“I’ve spent a long time thinking about it, living with the pain and suffering in silence.”
Around five years ago he tried archery, which helped him cope with his PTSD.
Mr Wood said: “You’re mind goes to a different place and you can lose yourself in it. Before I knew it I was spending five or six hours there, not thinking about anything else but archery.
“One of my dreams is to get to the Paralympics or Invictus games, and to a level where I’m competing properly.”
Spending a lot of his time at Holt Woodland Archery and Airgun Club, Mr Wood now coaches others in the sport.
He also makes regular trips to the Lilleshall National Sports Centre in Shropshire for advanced training.
Mr Wood said: “Never give up on your dreams. Although your dreams may change through circumstance, you can find a better way to go through life.
“If I had succumbed to PTSD I wouldn’t be here now. I’ve had a long, hard battle but I’ve never given up, never let it beat me.
"Although I’m not a trained councillor, I talk to people who come to the range about going through highs and lows.”
'Inspiring': How archery club has helped
Jon Hancock, founder of Holt Woodland Archery and Air Gun Club, said Mr Wood was an “inspiration”.
Mr Hancock said: “He has helped so many people and I’m incredibly proud of what he has done.
"Since we’ve come back from lockdown I’ve had four people say to me if it wasn’t for the archery and air guns, they would have taken their own lives.
“That’s incredibly moving and that’s our raison d'etre.”
Because Mr Wood was unable to get around the site in a wheelchair, Holt Mobility helped provide him with a scooter, in the style of a vintage motorbike.
Mr Hancock thanked Jack Baker from Holt Mobility and the Royal Naval Association for their help with this.
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