Back from the Brink

"The waves of the pain had colours, there was so much of it": Phil Coburn on the Taliban bomb attack that left him with life-changing injuries

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Episode notes

As a photographer working for a newspaper, Phil Coburn said that he felt almost protected whilst covering the war in Afghanistan, comparing his camera to a shield.

However, the assignment for the Mirror photographer ended in life-changing injuries when, in 2010, a Taliban bomb attack resulted in Phil losing the lower part of both legs.

The photographer recalls his time covering the war, the blast that killed his colleague Rupert Hamer and a US Marine, and the injuries that he suffered.

This is the first instalment of a two-part episode chronicling Phil's story, and how he survived and recovered from the attack.

Back from the Brink is a Reach Studio production, created and presented by Cecilia Adamou, and produced by Daniel J. McLaughlin, with thanks to Dan Jackson.

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