A Scots veteran with severe sight problems will run this month’s London marathon – with a white cane.
Former Army chef Steven Waterston suffered sight loss after lifesaving surgery.
He hopes others with visual impairments will follow his example.
Steven, 46, said: “There’s always something positive you can take out of a race.
“I was intrigued by marathons – every year I’d watch London and I knew one day I’d get to one.”
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After a brain haemorrhage in 2003, Steven was found to have arteriovenous malformation – where high pressure arteries are connected to low pressure veins, risking rupture.
A second bleed in 2008 after completing a double marathon in London and Edinburgh led to high-risk surgery the following year.
The procedure left him completely blind in his left visual field with reduced vision and processing in his right, plus paralysis on his left side.
The charity Scottish War Blinded supported Steven on his career path, giving him the opportunity to complete his work placements at the Linburn Centre in West Lothian.
Steven, from Dalkeith, Midlothian, said running was “a coping mechanism” after his first bleed.
He added: “I may not exactly see what other people see but I’ve got good senses in other ways.
“It’s good to have something in life that gives you that sense of purpose.”
