It can be difficult at times to live life in the Armed Forces. You are often shuffled from one area to another and your family life may suffer along the way as well. That isn’t even to mention the possibility that you will be called to defend your country or perhaps be put in the line of fire. That is something that happened with Simon Brown and it only took a split second for his life to change forever.
It happened when Simon was on a rescue mission in 2006. Six other soldiers were stranded when their vehicle broke down and as they were trying to escape, they came under sniper fire. Simon was struck in the face and, although he survived, he was left partially blind. When he was released from the Army, he had a minimum of 25 surgeries. They were able to reconstruct his nose and cheekbones. They also reshaped his broken jaw and he was fitted with a prosthetic eye.
Because of the disfigurement, he was feeling rather low on confidence. He had to adjust to the loss of the majority of his eyesight and to live as an independent adult and as a civilian.
That is where a five-year-old girl named Temperance Patterson (Tempy) comes in. She grew up loving soldiers and war heroes and even started volunteering when she was only three years old. As an example, she participated in charity triathlons that were dedicated to soldiers.
When they were put together with an organization known as Help for Heroes, the results were nothing less than miraculous. Help for Heroes supports individuals who have suffered illnesses, wounds and injuries when serving in the British Armed Forces.
It was always a dream of this little girl to meet a real soldier. As part of a campaign known as Facing It Together, they met in person and had a face-to-face conversation. Simon wasn’t sure how she would react to his scars, his eye and his appearance but it doesn’t take long to see that things are going in the right direction.
You can watch their interaction in this touching video:
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