On Tuesday night, the groundbreaking new Channel 4 programme Naked Education studied the bodies of both genders and introduced fans to the inspiring nine-year-old quadruple amputee Luke.
According to the motto of the program, it will be a series on “body positivity and educating people on what “normal” bodies actually look like,” which will also involve teaching viewers on those who have amputations.
After acquiring meningitis and developing sepsis, the body’s severe reaction to an infection in which it overreacts and begins to harm your body’s own tissues and organs, Luke Mortimer had both of his legs and both of his arms amputated more than three years ago.
He demonstrated to Naked Education host Anna Richardson, who co-hosts the programme with Yinka Bokinni and former Love Island contestant Doctor Alex George, that shark skin was used for his skin grafts as part of his life-saving procedure.
‘Have a look – can you see how they both have lumps on? That’s shark skin,’ he explained, drawing attention to his right arm and leg.
His dad continued: ‘The way the sepsis had taken away some of Luke’s skin and muscle, they can’t just skin graft over bone, so they put some shark skin in his arm and in his legs.’
‘They took all the DNA out of the skin, don’t worry,’ Luke added, as his dad revealed that his son thought it was ‘way cool’ he had shark skin.
The young man further said that, after all the adjustments, he felt “quite nice” about his new form since, “when it comes to hide and seek, I can fit myself in little nooks that no one else can fit in and normally no one else would check,”
He encountered fellow quad amputee Alex Lewis during the episode. Lewis lost all four of his limbs and underwent significant skin grafts and face surgery following infections with Strep A and septicaemia in 2013.
Luke and Alex connected over their shared experiences as the child tried out some of Alex’s specialised sports equipment that enables him to handcycle and toss a ball for his dog, among other things. Alex was the first quadruple amputee Luke had ever met.
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Discussing what it had been like meeting Alex, Luke said: ‘Being a quad amputee and meeting another quad amputee is even better than making a new best friend.’
On what he’d learned from their encounter, he added: ‘I now know if someone’s staring that I could possibly encourage them if they want to ask questions.’
Alex was also struck by the ‘inspiring’ nine-year-old, who he praised as being ‘so confident, competent [and] at ease with his situation’, as well as a ‘beacon of hope’.
Viewers were moved by what they saw too, with one tweeting: ‘Oh Luke you melted my heart! What an inspiration!!’
‘Such an incredible and inspiring young lad. That conversation will live with him forever and make such a difference to his life,’ added another.
Naked Education continues on Tuesday at 8pm on Channel 4.
Source My Celebrity Life.