Photos by © Press People

A SOLDIER spent 18 months convinced he was dead due to a rare condition known as 'Walking Corpse Syndrome', following a crash.

Warren McKinlay, from Braintree, suffered from Cotard’s Syndrome.

In May 2005 the recovery mechanic was stationed at RAF Horrington and was out on a motorbike ride with a colleague.

His colleague lost control, sending Mr McKinlay, 35, veering off into a tree at 60mph.

The veteran, from Notley Road, believed after the accident he had died.

He was later able to rebuild his life after meeting another soldier at the military rehabilitation centre, Headley Court, who was diagnosed with the condition.

He said: “I believed I was in a kind of purgatory and the memory loss and struggling to cope I experienced was a part of that.

"My medical condition was so bizarre, I felt I was literally a dead man walking.

“It was like I was in a living nightmare."

He had broken his pelvis in the accident and his weight dropped to below 70 kilos.

He added: "A friend of mine at Headley Court also experienced the same thing, in billion to one odds.

"The odds that two of us had such a rare condition were like winning the lottery – but Headley Court is a place where exceptional things happen.”

Warren's wife Sarah, who is a mum to their daughter Katie, 11, and Frazer, four, said Warren was moved to the High Dependency ward at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital.

She said: "We would go and visit Warren and we would be sitting with him for over an hour and he wouldn't say a word to us, but as we left he would start talking to someone on the ward straight away.

"It was quiet frustrating as we had no idea why he was behaving like that.

"When Warren was finally discharged, all my time was spent caring for him. It was a struggle but I was so thankful to have him home.

"But he just wasn't himself at all. I remember one day I sat in my car crying as I felt completely alone."

After his daughter Katie was born in the October, he became unable to cope with any noises.

Mr McKinlay said: “I wasn't myself at all and couldn't understand it – every time there was a loud noise or Katie would cry I flew into a rage.

"I never hated my child – I loved her from the moment she was born, but I would have to leave the house as the noise was like a searing pain in my head.

“By the time I got to Headley Court, for some time I'd become convinced I was actually dead.

“I was convinced I didn't have to eat. I'd sit for hours in a room refusing to talk to anyone.

“I'd gone completely into a shell, Sarah was loving and tried everything to help me, but I felt I couldn't share what was happening to me."

In April 2016, he was given the opportunity to join Team BRIT, a racing team made up of injured veterans.

He is now seeking local sponsorship in order to fulfil his dream of making history as one of a team of veterans to compete in the Le Mans 24 hour endurance race.

He said: “Team Brit has given me a renewed focus in my life, as my injuries mean I will struggle to work again

"We race all over the country and Europe, in specially adapted hand control karts and it's given me my direction back."

Sarah added: “It's hard to comprehend, even for me, what Warren has gone through, but finally our lives are back on track.

"Katie also often says how proud she is of her daddy.

"She saw him at his lowest, his angriest, and she has seen Warren's transformation over time into a smiling person once again.

"We still both live with brain injury, but Warren has achieved so much I'm incredibly proud of him.”

To sponsor, or find out more about Warren and his racing visit warrenracing.co.uk.