A TV presenter who was injured in Afghanistan has issued a heartfelt thank you to Birmingham, live on TV.
The former Royal Marine, JJ Chalmers, made the emotional statement while presenting a Commonwealth Games Birmingham highlights program with co-presenter, Isa Guha, on BBC One on Thursday (4th August).
In 2011, on active duty in Afghanistan, he sustained severe injuries in an IED blast. He suffered facial injuries, lost two fingers and his right elbow disintegrated.
Like many injured service men and women, Chalmers was flown to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham for life-saving treatment.
During the broadcast, JJ caught up with his friend, Scottish para powerlifter Micky Yule – a Royal Engineer who was also severely injured in Afghanistan.
Yule, a double amputee, went on to win bronze after lifting 192kg in the heavyweight benchpress final – a first Commonwealth medal for the Olympic and World Cup medallist.
In his emotional tribute to his friend, live on air, JJ said: “I’m so proud of him. From coming from the military, medals don’t make you a hero I can tell you that, but it’s the way you conduct yourself, it’s the person that you are, and Micky is that, and he’s an absolute hero to me.”
Of his feelings on Birmingham, Chalmers added: “Thank you to Birmingham. Because whenever people say the name of this city, I thought of the hospital and it was amazing and I’m grateful to it.”
Having difficulty speaking, JJ said: “But now when people say Birmingham I think of these games and this city gave me a life – that’s the thing. And now I have something to live for.”
In an interview with the BBC prior to the games, Yule said of his return to Birmingham: “It’s a strange feeling. I flew in here in a coma from Afghanistan and then spent eight weeks getting patched up and surgeries, sometimes being quite close to everything going wrong.
“But I’m back here. The people at Queen Elizabeth Hospital saved my life.
“It’s not all bad, it’s mixed feelings, but to be back here on a real positive note to try and win a medal for your country and be the flagbearer, I think it comes full circle to where things started 10 years ago.”
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