Season 2, Episode 4
The Gap Between Would and Could – Interview with Billy Hedderman – A Story of Resilience
Episode 4: The Gap Between Would and Could - Interview with Billy Hedderman - A Story of Resilience
Billy Hedderman is a former tactical commander of the Irish Special Forces (Army Ranger Wing) and Captain in the Australian Infantry.
While body boarding on the Sunshine Coast (Australia) on New Year’s Eve 2014, a wave dumped him into the sand. He broke his neck, back and suffered immediate spinal cord damage, paralysing him from the neck down. Lucky not to drown, Billy was rushed to Queensland’s premier spinal injuries unit where he began the difficult road to recovery.
With feeling in only one finger and one toe, Billy began an intense and difficult rehabilitation from his hospital bed. Seven months later this amazing individual ran a 10km race in Brisbane in under one hour which is the stuff of miracles. This is an amazing story of psychological resilience and determination and truly reflects what a turnaround mindset really is!
Billy has written a fantastic book Unbowed: A Soldier’s Journey Back from Paralysis (Unbowed: A Soldier’s Journey Back from Paralysis – Hedderman, Billy | 9781781175934 | Amazon.com.au | Books) which captures his dramatic journey back from quadriplegic to running marathons again.
A husband, a father of two and a true believer in the poem Invictus, Billy Hedderman is the true master of his fate and captain of his soul!