Danny Boy - an autobiography

“Danny Boy” tells how a young, carefree Essex boy comes back from losing his right arm to become a Paralympic Games 800m gold medallist for Great Britain; this autobiography covers all the highs and lows of Danny’s life.

From the agony of the car crash on the other side of the world that cost him his arm at the age of 21, through a period of introspection as he came to terms with his disability, the achievement of becoming the world’s only one-armed scuba diving instructor, the glory of an athletics career spanning three Paralympic games, and his role as an ambassador for the London 2012 bid.

All told with Danny's amiable sense of humour and indefatigable optimism, the story is one of triumph over adversity and making the most of whatever life throws at you.

No hurdle in life is impossible to overcome…

An excerpt from chapter one:

"I regained consciousness at the bottom of a 15-foot embankment in the driver’s seat of a wrecked car.

"Moments earlier I had been enjoying the drive to Airlie Beach in Queensland, Australia, looking forward to catching up with old friends one last time before returning home to England at the end of what had been the most amazing year of my life.

"How had I got here? Had I hit another car? Or lost control of mine? All these thoughts running through my mind distracted me from the fact that my arm was starting to hurt.

"I looked down and saw a severed arm lying across my lap. At first I was scared it was from a pedestrian or another car I had collided with. I did not even contemplate that it might be mine.

"In a state of panic, I turned to my passenger, Barry, for reassurance, but all he said was, “Don’t look down, it’s your arm.” I don’t know why but those words seemed to calm me.

For more information and details on how to order follow the link.

If you have – or know someone with – a disability but would like to get involved in endurance running like Danny, go to the Aviva UKA Academy for more information.