PHIL PACKER "26" – Adam Layer DBF Representative

Monday, April 5th, 2010

♦ 26 MILES FOR 26 CHARITIES IN 26 HOURS ♦

The Douglas Bader Foundation is very honoured to have been chosen as one of Phil Packer’s 26 beneficiary charities for the forthcoming Virgin London Marathon 2010 on the 26th April.

Each of the 26 charities in Phil Packer’s “26″ project have been asked to choose a young representative between the ages of 16 and 25 who will walk for one of the 26 miles by his side and then join him and the other 25 representatives for the last 365 yards before crossing the finishing line together.

We are delighted to announce that our representative will be Adam Layer who will walk MILE 4 with Phil Packer.

Adam, 18, was selected by the Foundation because of his ongoing support of the charity and his determination to overcome his disability.

Adam Layer with Lady Bader and Phil Packer

At birth, Adam was found to have no fibula and a bowed short tibia in his right leg and 2 toes missing and talipes to the left leg. His left leg was corrected successfully with a tendon release but after trying many different unsuccessful attempts to make the left leg longer and straighter, consultants at Sheffield Children’s Hospital decided that the best course of action would be a Symes amputation to the right leg.

At the age of 3, Adam was given his first artificial leg at the Northern General Hospital, Sheffield and took to walking on it immediately. Now, 15 years later Adam uses a dynamic foot setup and continues to receive treatment at the Northern General Hospital which is over 100 miles away from home. Unfortunately during the last 6 months Adam has been having continual problems with his prosthetic leg.

At 16 Adam passed his driving test and now drives an adapted car fitted with a left foot accelerator.

Adam is currently studying a course in Aerospace Engineering at Bedford College with the hope of entering the industry as a maintenance engineer in the near future. He decided to pursue this career after developing a passion for aircraft in his early teens, and as a result of this joined the Air Training Corps. He has been promoted to the rank of Cadet Flight Sergeant, gained five hours of flying experience and has participated in a wide range of other activities. He is a proficient shooter, has experienced gliding and is now very involved in the instruction of cadets.

‘Douglas Bader has always been my role model when dealing with my disability’ commented Adam