'I want to walk again this year': Injured navy man

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http://www.yourhealth.com.sg/content/i-want-walk-again-year-says-navy-man

When his superiors visited him at his hospital bed, navy man Jason Chee was drugged and drowsy but he tried to raise a hand to his forehead to salute them.

Family members watching him struggle to show this act of loyalty wept silently by his side.

The plight of the 30-year-old serviceman, who was critically injured in a horrific naval accident last December, moved a nation. Hundreds donated blood and money to help him.

He lost both his legs, his left arm and three fingers on his right hand.

Two weeks after the Dec 10 accident and to the immense relief of his family, Mr Chee pulled through and woke up on Christmas Eve.

Today, he can sit in a wheelchair. A piece of cloth is wrapped around the end of his torso to prevent him from falling over.

Over the Chinese New Year break, a chest tube which had been fitted in his body for the past two months to help him breathe easier was taken out.

And this week, he will cross another milestone - he will be transferred to Tan Tock Seng Hospital for rehabilitation.

Earlier last month, he was able to breathe on his own again. A move to the hospital's general ward followed, where he now stays.

At Tan Tock Seng Hospital, he will be able to "train up his body" with more intense exercises.

"I'm happy," he said simply. "Because the worst pain is over."

"My goal this year? I want to stand up and walk."