The amazing story of a 23-year-old bomb disposal expert who lost his four limbs in an explosion in Afghanistan has gone viral, with Internet users donating money to make his dream come true.
Less than a month ago, Taylor Morris, an explosive ordinance disposal (EOD) specialist in the U.S. Navy, was leading a team of U.S. Army Special Forces to a classified location near Kandahar province when he stepped on an Improvised Explosive Device, which went off directly underneath him.
‘As soon as I stepped on it, I knew,’ he told John Resig, the co-owner of the website The Chive, which has released his story. ‘There was a moment, then I heard the blast. I felt the heat. I knew I had lost my legs. As I somersaulted through the air, I watched my legs fly off.’
Taylor landed back in the blast crater, but despite the horrific injuries he had sustained, he remained conscious and did not go into shock.Even though the 23-year-old was bleeding profusely from all four severed limbs, he called to the oncoming medics to stay away from the site of the blast so as not to put them in danger in case there were other mines around.
The area around the injured man was finally cleared by the second EOD specialist, and the medic finally administered combat casualty care. Morris remained alert throughout the whole ordeal.
‘They asked me how much it hurts on a scale of one to ten. I said, ‘Definitely a ten. It freaking hurts,’’ he recalled.
Checks also may be made out to the Taylor Morris Recovery Fund at any Veridian Credit Union branch. Bracelets and T-shirts are available for sale at TaylorMorris.org, where donations can be made through PayPal.
Morris’ supporters have also created a Facebook pagefor him and a Twitter account where people can track his progress.
A major fundraiser for Morris is being planned for October, in addition to a fundraiser next Thursday through June 10 at Tony’s La Pizzeria on the Parkade in Cedar Falls. A fundraiser last weekend raised $1,000, which means that Morris is well on his way of making his dream a reality.