British Afghan War Hero Forced to Crowdfund Prosthetic Arm Despite Bionic Limb Pledge From NHS

Ben McBean, the former Royal Marine commando who lost his arm and leg after being blown up by a Taliban IED in 2008, has made a public appeal for help to buy a functional prosthetic arm. The 39-year-old launched the crowdfunding initiative after receiving hardly any assistance despite being a decorated combat veteran.

For McBean, it is imperative that he is able to get a myoelectric arm. He offered simple reasons behind that, although the most essential of them all is being able to actually hold his children's hands and independently carry out basic routines wherever he may be.

'I want to be able to hold my child's hand. Hold a glass, even just open a f***ing door. It's the most basic things,' McBean said in a report by The Sun.

McBean Case Concerning

Despite being hailed by Prince Harry as a national hero, McBean's predicament has raised concerns. In 2022, the National Health Service (NHS) offered bionic arms to all amputees, civilians and military.

According to the NHS England website, the bionic arms are controlled by electrical brain signals and have features that include multi-grip capabilities to make day-to-day tasks easier.

These are capabilities that would help McBean significantly. Unfortunately, the Plymouth native has received no offer or word about potentially getting one of these bionic arms.

As a result, there are growing calls by constituents to look into the integrity of government promises – particularly for people like McBean who are on the frontline of government conflicts.

'Ben is a hero who deserves all the help he can get. It is a real concern that he feels he has no alternative but to fund privately,' Shadow Defence Secretary James Cartlidge said. 'I hope ministers look into his case as a matter of urgency.'

McBean Waited in Vain

Before resorting to crowdfunding, McBean admitted that he was never offered a bionic limb despite his regular doctor visits. He regularly visited medical specialists roughly every two years for potential follow-up surgeries on his stumps and shrapnel wounds.

With no offer and McBean apparently becoming impatient, he knew he had to take matters into his own hands. Aware that a bionic arm costs hundreds of thousands of pounds, the next best thing he could do was make a public appeal with hopes of getting a basic prosthetic arm to be able to hold his children, as well as perform simple acts such as holding a glass or cup or the simple opening of a door using a door knob.

A look at his GoFundMe page shows that McBean has already accumulated about £22,059 – 85% of the target amount set at £26,000. The 39-year-old admits to being overwhelmed with the generous donations, as well as simple but heartwarming messages from donors.

'The public have been amazing. I didn't go to war for someone to say "thank you", but some messages have really made me go "wow",' McBean shared. 'One person donated £100 and said, "What you have done for us and our country, this is the least I can do." That means a lot,' he added.

Nearing the target amount of money needed by McBean to get a prosthetic arm shows that there are people who still look up to him and what he did for the country. However, the fact that a war hero needed to resort to such measures to be able to help himself raises questions about the structural inadequacies forcing veterans into public fundraising.

McBean's case is disheartening but undeniably a warning sign for war veterans. If a war hero like Ben never got the chance to avail himself of a needed benefit, vets can only ponder if they would have better luck. With the flaws plaguing the system right now, the chances are not exactly in their favour.