HE survived an horrific road accident close to his home.
And yesterday, some of the nursing staff who helped young Callum Parkinson pull through were on hand to see his finest hour.
Callum, 16, of Fenay Bridge, was one of the lucky people chosen to carry the Olympic Torch through West Yorkshire.
He was joined on the relay by another brave local youngster.
Harry Crowther, of Mirfield, suffers from a premature ageing condition but bravely joined yesterday’s historic relay.
Callum took one leg of the relay through Leeds yesterday morning on a route which throughout the day also took in Dewsbury, Batley and the iconic settings of the National Coal Mining Museum at Overton and the Yorkshire Sculpture Park at Bretton.
Again, the event drew massive crowds as it did in Huddersfield and Brighouse on Sunday.
Kirklees Council officials estimated 10,000 had turned out in Dewsbury and 5,000 in Batley, even though it was a school and working day.
Callum was watched by mum Christine, dad Andrew and sister Chloe and also by nursing staff from Leeds General Infirmary, who helped him fight back from the brink of death.
He suffered terrible head injuries in the accident on his way home from rugby training in June 2009.
It was doubtful he would survive and he spent six months in hospital. He now has a metal skull and has re-learned how to eat, talk, walk and has even returned to mainstream school.
His big day meant a 3.45am start but he said: “It was amazing.
“It was so exciting. I couldn’t stop smiling.
“I was so pleased the nursing staff who helped me when I was so poorly were there to see it.”
Even former teachers from Rowley Lane School, Lepton, came to support him.
Thirteen-year-old Harry has an extremely rare condition which causes his body to age at five times the normal rate.
The Castle Hall School pupil suffers from progeria syndrome, has already been diagnosed with arthritis and takes painkillers four times a day to relieve him from the aches and pains a pensioner may suffer.
His skin has also started to thin as the ageing process takes hold and the bones in his fingers and collar bone have begun to erode.
But he loved his time in the spotlight. He said: “It was incredible. Words cannot describe how it felt to do the run. The crowds were amazing and it was even better than I thought it would be.
“Now the Torch is going to have pride of place in my bedroom.”
Aimee Jennings is just 12 and the Almondbury High School pupil got to run in Leeds.
She was nominated by her teachers for her sporting prowess and said it had been a “fantastic” day.
Teenager Paul Hagreen, of Elland, is sports mad and plays semi-professional football for Brighouse Town.
And that’s despite being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of 4 – and having to undergo a staggering 62,000 blood tests and 21,000 injections in the 14 years since then.
Paul, who ran a leg through West Yorkshire yesterday, said: “I find it very difficult living with diabetes at times but I will not let it beat me.
“As well as football I also play tennis and cricket and coach younger children too.”
Dewsbury’s Gayna Goalby, 36, ran through the streets of Wakefield as part of the Relay.
She devotes a huge amount of time and effort to coaching disabled youngsters in the area with the Kirklees Disabled Gymnastics Club.
The Torch Relay also passed through two tourist hotspots near Huddersfield.
Former miners Stephen Oxley and Bob White lit a miner’s Davy lamp from the flame and took it underground at the National Coal Mining Museum – accompanied by its police escort.
And the Torch was taken through the stunning surroundings of the Yorkshire Sculpture Park in Bretton before ending its run last night in Sheffield.
