WAR hero Ben McBean has been promised a bionic arm by the NHS — in a victory for The Sun.
We revealed how the former Royal Marine had been for a new prosthetic limb.
Ben McBean has been promised a bionic arm by the NHS — in a victory for The Sun Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
The former Royal Marine had been forced to launch a public fund-raiser for a new prosthetic limb Credit: Getty
He lost it, and a leg, when he was blown up in in 2008 and has long wanted an arm with moveable fingers and wrist.
, who has raised fortunes for military charities, was stunned to get a call from the after we exposed his ordeal.
Staff at his local limb centre in Plymouth told him they would arrange for him to visit specialists in Bristol.
Ben who has sons Albie, nine, and Maddox, five, said: “They basically said I can pretty much get whatever limb I want.
Ben who has sons Albie, nine, and Maddox, five, was stunned to get a call from the NHS Credit: Collect
The Sun revealed the plight of Afghanistan war hero Ben, who has raised fortunes for military charities Credit: THE SUN
“If it works out, amazing. I just want to be able to do normal things, like hold my sons’ hands and open a door.”
The best prosthetics, which let amputees control movement using nerve signals in their stumps, cost hundreds of thousands of pounds.
The NHS said in 2022 that, following clinical assessments, the “multi-grip” limbs were available to all amputees. Ben, however, has lived with a static prosthetic despite seeing medical professionals every two years or so for ongoing treatment to his stumps and shrapnel wounds.
Ben, who was blown up by the in Helmand in 2008, was hailed a “real hero” by , then a lieutenant with the Blues and Royals, after they shared an transport flight out of Afghanistan.
He later wowed medics with his recovery and has run two London Marathons and climbed to base camp to boost Armed Forces’ goods causes.
He was overwhelmed by the response to his bionic arm appeal which raised more than £20,000 in days.
Last night he vowed to return the cash, or donate it to , if the NHS honours its promise to provide the prosthetic he needs.
Ben said: “I will wait and see what happens. When they say ‘you can get what you want’, they might not literally mean that. But if I don’t need that money I will give it back.”
He added: “It is amazing how generous people have been. A lot of people have said ‘thank you for your service’. That means a lot.”
legend , the best-selling author of Bravo Two Zero, had slammed Ben’s treatment as a “slap in the face for veterans”.
Tory Shadow Defence Secretary James Cartlidge said: “Ben is a hero who deserves all the help he can get.
“It’s a real concern that he feels he has no alternative but to privately fund his prosthetics.”
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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