A FORMER veteran who was forced to leave the Royal Navy after damaging his back in training, has turned his life around with the help of charity funding.

Now a qualified personal trainer, Lee Patmore, 44, developed ME and Fibromyalgia after a back injury – which turned his life upside down back in 1999.

The conditions causes constant pain and severe fatigue.

Lee spoke out about the emotional effects of being “dumped” from the Royal Navy and how Help for Heroes – a charity which help provide better facilities for British servicemen and women who have been wounded or injured in the line of duty – enabled him to get past such an obstacle in his life.

Lee from Laindon said: “During a training course I endured back spasms on several occasions until I ended up in hospital. After several tests they couldn’t find what was wrong with me so I was just discharged.

“It wasn’t my choice to go – I didn’t want to go. I had not long been married and was living in married quarters with a newborn baby.

“I remember feeling scared. I didn’t know if I would be able to look after my family or where we were going to go, because we obviously had to leave the married quarters.”

Lee’s condition worsened after medical discharge and he was eventually diagnosed with ME and Fibromyalgia, confining him to a wheelchair for much of the time.

His mental health suffered as he became frustrated at his situation and life in general. Unable to work or keep fit – Lee had been sporty and a keen runner and mountain biker before becoming ill – he spent a lot of time at home feeling low.

Lee, who has three children, aged 20, 15 and 13, took up archery to give him focus, although picking up the arrows caused him pain.

Help for Heroes funded specialist archery equipment and a new wheelchair for Lee, so that he could move around more easily. This motivated Lee to get fit. When he discovered a shortage of disability gym instructors local to him, he vowed to become one himself. The charity also funded Lee’s training, and now he’s a qualified personal trainer in Brentwood.

Lee added: “Being able to help other people is a massive part of my life now.

“I can give them tools in the same way that Help for Heroes gave me the tools I needed to get my life back.”