Neil Hopper, a consultant vascular surgeon from Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro, UK, recently made it to the shortlist for a para-astronaut position with the European Space Agency. Despite being eliminated from the process, Neil was determined to prove that his disability wouldn’t stop him from achieving his dream.
Neil had performed hundreds of amputations during his career when he himself contracted sepsis in 2019 and had to undergo a double amputation. His recovery was gruelling, and he experienced difficulty adjusting to the physical and psychological changes. With prosthetic legs came a glimmer of hope and Neil eventually decided to return to work, determined to prove the doctors wrong who had advised him to consider another career path.
Having made it to the shortlist for an astronaut position with the ESA, Neil travelled to Hamburg for the selection process which involved medical, personality, psychometric and memory tests. He made it reasonably far through the process but was ultimately eliminated.
Despite not realising his dream of becoming an astronaut, Neil believes that his experience has made him a better doctor and has facilitated improvements to services throughout Devon and Cornwall. On reflection, he believes that his ability to relate to patients has been invaluable.
Neil’s story has been featured in a Welsh BBC documentary, where he explains how he overcame adversity to go back to work and live life as normally as possible. His determination and courage is inspirational, and he is an example of what disabled people can achieve when they don’t let their disabilities hold them back.
