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A teenager who said he would never walk again after breaking his tibia in a freak sledding accident has taken his first steps.
Ben Thompson, 19, begged doctors to chop off his leg after he hit a metal sign while sliding down a snow-covered hill in Burton-Upon-Trent, Staffordshire, in November.
The horror accident fractured his tibia and punctured the muscle and artery in his calf, completely destroying the nervous system in his leg.
He was told he could lose his leg during an operation at Queen's Hospital Burton - and even after the operation was successful, medics told him he may never walk again.
In the weeks following his operation, Mr Thompson's leg continued to expand due to infection and doctors had to give him a skin graft.
The former warehouse worker asked doctors to cut off his leg because of the unbearable pain - which felt worse because he wasn't given the "right medication".
Five months later, Mr. Thompson can walk again, although he will be taking painkillers for the foreseeable future.
Ben Thompson (left), 19, hit a metal pole while sliding down a hill on a plastic toboggan in Burton Upon Trent, Staffordshire, in November last year (right).
The brutal impact caused his broken tibia to pierce the muscle and artery in his calf before completely destroying the nervous system in his leg
He was told he could lose his leg during surgery - and even after he had surgery, medics told him he might never walk again. Mr Thompson's leg continued to expand due to infection in the weeks following his operation and doctors had to give him a skin graft (right).
The former warehouse worker asked doctors to cut off his leg because of the unbearable pain - which felt worse because he wasn't given the "right medication".
Describing the accident, Mr Thompson said: “I was sledding with someone else on a hill in Shobnall Park.
"We didn't see the thin metal post in front of us. At the last minute the other rider was able to get out, but I wasn't so lucky.
“I stuck my foot out to stop the impact and the bar hit the bottom of my foot.
“That broke my bone, which then went through my muscle and tore both my artery and my nervous system from the shinbone down.”
After arriving at hospital in Burton, he was taken to Royal Stoke University Hospital where he underwent emergency surgery to insert metal pins into his leg and hold his shinbone in place.
They told him that his leg might not be salvageable and that he could wake up days later from a second operation as an amputee.
Paramedics managed to save his leg, but the former warehouse worker was told he would be disabled for life and may never walk again.
After the operation, Mr. Thompson's muscle began to stretch again, requiring a skin graft on both sides of his calf, with doctors taking skin from his thigh.
At times, Mr. Thompson's pain became so severe that he repeatedly asked doctors to amputate his leg.
However, a change in medication helped Mr Thompson manage the pain and he slowly began exercising his leg again.
He said: “I was in hospital for three weeks with constant pain and no signs of recovery.
“About two months later the doctors said I was still disabled and they could barely see any signs of movement.
"I'm also on long-term medication for the rest of my life. Walking is very difficult for me and even five months later my foot hasn't healed any better, but I'm learning to live with it and make adjustments.
“Because they hadn't given me the right medication, I was in complete agony and begged them to stop it.
“I was close to going through with it but decided against it because I didn’t want to give up.”
Mr Thompson documented his recovery on social media, where followers encouraged him with his progress.
He said: “Learning to walk was very difficult because not only could I not feel my leg, but I had been lying down continuously for over a month so my leg muscles were very weak.
“In the beginning I had a big, heavy boot and a pair of crutches, but I still found it difficult to walk anywhere.
"I would practice in my bedroom and work my muscles. Once I got my foot brace, my foot was much easier to move.
“I was determined to get well, and in a few months I was able to move into my house.”