A man whose body was ravaged by a flesh eating bugs has said he wouldn't take his lost limbs back.
Alex Lewis, 36, became a quadruple amputee after a simple cold developed into a flesh-eating bug three years ago.
Doctors had to remove his legs to stop the infection in its tracks, with surgeons later tattooing lips onto his damaged face.
Despite the huge physical ordeal he has been through, the Stockbridge, Hampshire man does not yearn for his old body.
"The truth is that if you offered me my legs, arms and face back I wouldn't take them," he told Femail.
"This whole process has been a blessing more than curse.
"I have discovered I enjoy public speaking and have been fortunate enough to have been asked to speak around the world on topics ranging from design, engineering and technology to disability, inclusion, motivation and resilience."
In October, Alex showed quite how far his positive attitude could take him when he paddled 120 miles through the Arctic Circle.
He was joined by a team of injured ex-servicemen from military charity Pilgrim Bandits who paddled up to 20 miles a day through the freezing water's of Greenland.
They witnessed glaciers breaking apart, sunbathing seals , white-tailed eagles, an 18 foot long humpback whale and the Northern Lights.
On the journey Alex was paired up with an able-bodied kayaker as they travelled through the -30c waters.
He had specially-fitted prosthetic arms for the trip and was paired up with his best friend and carer, Chris Bagley.
He said: “I was concerned that I would slow the group down but that wasn’t the case, once I got into the rhythm of it then it wasn’t too bad.
“It was a truly amazing trip and incredibly memorable. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity.
“The group were great and to have my best mate in the kayak with me was brilliant."
Six years after the pub landlord was ravaged by the infection he is piecing his life back together with the help of wife Lucy and their six-year-old son.
He has even found success as an interiors designer, using an iPad to visualise the inside of a hotel in Stockbridge.
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