Just months ago he took his first steps after a rare condition prompted by a mere common cold left him fighting for his life.
But, almost a year after he was paralysed from the neck down by Guillain-Barré Syndrome, north-east man Derek Ledingham has finally walked through his own front door to settle back into home life.
Now Mr Ledingham is hoping to get himself to the stage where he can begin working again at Tag Worldwide, in Aberdeen, next year.
He added: “Work has been really good with me and really supportive. I hope to get back to work in some sort of capacity and sort of reintegrate myself into working life. I look forward to the day I can get back to work.”
Last Friday, Mr Ledingham also paid a visit to his local – The Paddick – and caught up with pals he hadn’t seen for months.
He said: “Friday night I went round and just had a few beers and a catch up, it was good to catch up with everyone. It’s a big difference from hospital life to home life.”
He added that would like to raise awareness of Guillain-Barré syndrome.
He said: “This is out there, that can happen to anybody. Guillain-Barré doesn’t discriminate, it doesn’t care how healthy or unhealthy you are.”
Mr Ledingham also paid tribute to the work of the nurses, physiotherapists and the occupational therapists who have helped him throughout the months.