A primary school teacher from Northampton who broke both legs in a car accident and suffered other multiple injuries is hoping to raise £10,000 by running the London Marathon on his 47th birthday.
John Bonner, of St Matthews Parade, almost died after a head-on car crash in 2003.
He broke both legs, both ankles and his left arm in 17 places. His jaw was shattered and he smashed his right knee cap and lost all ligaments in his right knee.
For five days he was on the brink of death and he received the Last Rites three times.
But he made a miraculous recovery and is due to take part in the London Marathon today.
He said: “It’s not too bad for the first ten miles, but once I get beyond 12 miles it gets quite difficult.
“My right foot is misshapen and my ankles have minimal rotation. They become aggravated about half way and can begin bleeding.
“The top surgeon who did a lot of the work on me said you have to listen to your body. I’m probably going to suffer with arthritis in old age anyway. “But these are opportunities to do something good and a few days afterwards the pain dies away and the exhilaration takes over.””
John has done most of his training on a bike to save wear and tear on his legs.
But he has also been training with his brother Paul and sister Monica, who have supported him on practice runs and intend to run alongside him during the race.
They plane to celebrate afterwards with a birthday party to draw further attention to their fundraising target of £10,000 for CAFOD, the Catholic aid agency.
John said: “I’ve been to South Africa a few times and I’ve seen some poverty-stricken places firsthand, and I’ve also seen firsthand the work CAFOD and other organisations do supporting those communities. So the idea is to support our poorest sisters and brothers throughout the world.
“If you look at what’s happening in Syria at the moment, £1.35 would feed a malnourished child. I couldn’t imagine going for 48 hours without something to eat.”
John’s fundraising page can be found at www.justgiving.com/CeliaMonicaPaulandJohn