SCI Superstar: Frank Gardner

The process of transforming from your previous able-bodied self into a person with a disability is hard after a spinal cord injury. For BBC  security correspondent and journalist Frank Gardner this process was a bit more difficult. A familiar face in the media for years before his injury, the whole country followed his recovery post-injury. Read on for Frank Gardner’s story.

Why He’s Fearless

In 2004 while riding with his cameraman in Saudi Arabia, covering a story in the region, their car was attacked by gunfire. Frank was shot multiple times and his cameraman was killed. He was a 15 year veteran of the BBC at the time of his injury.

Today, and pre-injury, Gardner has been a fierce journalist (even garnering him the title of Officer of the Order of the British Empire award for his services after the shooting). From the beginning of his career, it has been all about the Middle East. In 1995, he switched from working as a banker in Saudi Arabia to working as a journalist (quite the career move). Soon, he was the BBC’s first full-time reporter in the region.

And it makes sense he loves this part of the world. His heart has been there since his teens when he had the opportunity to meet legendary British Middle East explorer Sir Wildred Thesiger. Frank went on to receive his undergraduate degree in Arabic (he is one of the few BBC journalists who can speak the language fluently).

After college, Frank served with the British Territorial Army as a lieutenant and as a banker in Saudi Arabia. Yes, this guy was all about having a strong powerful image. No wonder after his injury, Frank had no intention of abandoning his former self or image; and he has been able to make this goal a reality (and one the entire BBC audience has been able to witness).

After the shooting, Frank returned to reporting full-time. He also reports on disability issues, such as a story he did on the difficulties of flying in a wheelchair. And he is also an author. He’s the best-selling author of, Blood and Sand, that detailed life after his injury and describing his 25 years working and living in the Middle East. Frank will also go abroad to report post-injury, and has reported from countries like Afghanistan and Colombia. He’s also the author of Crisis, Ultimatum and Outbreak.

What’s Next?

Father of two daughters and the President of the British Trust for Ornithology (bird watchers), Frank’s life stays busy. Also since his injury, he’s discovered sit-skiing. He became an honorary president of the Ski Club of Great Britain in 2011 and skis all over Europe whenever he has time off from work. And he’s an avid photographer, and shares his nature and Middle East photos online and in calendars via Etsy.

Frank Gardner is without question one of the most influential journalists with disabilities to ever exist and his desire to live as full a life as he did able-bodied is amazingly inspiring. And for an even more in-depth look at Frank, watch this BBC documentary about him, published in 2020, Being Frank.

— Follow Frank Gardner on Instagram