By Elliott West
Craig Bowler
“One morning I woke up and decided I didn’t want to be here anymore”.
Introduction
Craig Bowler and yes, that is his real name is a truly inspirational man and because of his recent interview on Sky News, I felt compelled to do some research and write about him. Craig’s story is a brave and emotional one that will you teary but truly inspired. Bowler who lost both his legs and an arm just over fifteen years ago when he had a mental breakdown and attempted to commit suicide. An attempt that would take him to the precipice of desperation, dangling his legs over a motorway flyover bridge before pulling himself back and walking towards a nearby electricity pylon and climbing it.The rest is a blur, probably because Craig ended up in a coma in hospital for two months and it was only when he regained consciousness a month and a half later, all he could say was that he was glad he didn’t end his life. He was greeted by a picture of himself with his arm in the air doing a streak at MK Dons stadium in 2006. It was a suicide attempt where 33,000 volts went through his body but didn’t touch any of his vital organs but blew both his feet off and he lost an arm as a result. The doctors treating him afterwards couldn’t believe how he survived. He would spend five months in hospital.
A Cry for Help
Craig’s root cause of his depression stems from when he was 13 and he was with a friend. Both were involved in an accident, a fire with his friend receiving ninety-five percent burns as a result. Bowler would spiral on a downward slide as a result but one that he was not conscious of. He blamed himself for it, liking it to a cupboard that gets a present put away in it every year but eventually explodes under the weight. Craig let his anguish build up to a point of no return and would later realise that he should have spoken to someone about it. This was born out also when Bowler saw red after a man was bullying a friend of his and he decided to retaliate. The fight turned into a vicious attack with the male going into his kitchen and getting a kitchen knife and stabbing him in the face, resulting in 72 stitches. This was the breaking point for Ian and caused him to seek help and get on the right medication.
The Road to Recovery
“Everything happens for a reason and maybe that reason’s for me to be standing here with you now”.
Craig Bowler
Craig Bowler was told that it would take two and a half years for him to walk again but he defied all odds and achieved this arduous goal in six weeks. This was mainly due not only to his willpower but the help of his physiotherapist, a lady who was dubbed the ‘Ice Queen’, applying ice to his tender joints. Abby would go on to become his wife and Craig would adopt an ethos of turning all the negatives into positives. With the love and support of his wife and his two children, Max and Tilly, Craig has rebuilt his life and started to help others. He doesn’t want anyone to have to go through what he went through and feels that offering his support could potentially help stop some of these tragic situations from occurring.
A New Chapter
Craig has found a new saviour in his life and that is playing bowls. Wrongly described as a sport that old people take part in, Bowler loves the fact this a sport where there is a family bond and is played by all age groups. He has made so many friends as a result of taking it up and defied expectations by becoming a brilliant bowler with his remaining left arm. So much so that he has gone on to become a 2022 Commonwealth bronze medalist in the Paralympic pairs. Such an achievement felt like a gold medal to him, a feat that was not only amazing but beyond his wildest dreams especially as people never thought he would be able to walk again in this short time span.
