A young man left brain damaged by an horrific motorbike accident is using a new-found talent for music to turn his life around.
Lee Armitage, 25, was the pillion passenger on a stolen motorbike that crashed into a car in Wakefield Road, Dewsbury, in 2012.
The Dewsbury man, who was not wearing a helmet, was rushed to hospital with severe injuries including a fractured skull and brain damage.
He was in a coma for eight months as doctors battled to save him – and after regaining consciousness faced months of therapy to help him recover.
Lee had once planned to join the army, but his life became “derailed” when he became addicted to drugs after the death of his father in 2009.
Now Lee says his life is better than it ever was – despite still feeling the after-effects of his terrible injuries.
Coming out of the coma, Lee discovered he was no longer addicted to drugs. He was able to get emotional support to overcome his bereavement and – incredibly – he developed musical skills that he never had before.
Lee has been helped on his road to recovery by Voyage Care, an organisation set up 30 years ago to support the needs of disabled people across the country.
Voyage Care, which provides specialist services in Dewsbury, Wakefield and Barnsley, found Lee a music teacher to help him turn the lyrics he has written into songs. He will perform at a festival sponsored run by Voyage Care this summer.
Lee’s lyrics relate to what he went through with lines including “Just bring me back to life now, where do I go from here?” from his song Stars; “My body’s been through wars, but thank God I’ve won” from I Meet the Girl; “Help me back to where I fell, see you coming tonight” from Bang Bang and “Oh I nearly kissed the angels” from Hold My Mother Again.
Lee said: “I couldn’t be where I am today without the help of all the fantastic medical staff, carers and support workers that helped me back to the life I have today.
“My life now is better than it has ever been and even though I will never be like I was before, I can now express myself through music.”
On his website, Lee states: “I survived an enormous vehicle accident and it made me focus on music as my passion to make the most of every day. I write about my feelings and my emotions and I am always trying to better myself in my vocal trainig and lyric writing skills.
“I was a different person and now I have a n w focus in life and realise that the path I took before is not how I want to live now.”
Lee’s music can be found at www.leearmitagemusic.co.uk .
For details on Voyage Care go to www.voyagecare.com
