When the Covid-19 pandemic struck in late 2019, like most people, I was prepared to do my bit, to trust the system and follow the advice. So when the vaccines came round, I rolled up my sleeve. That is when disaster struck.

Injured by Trust is the story of what happened next: how I went from being an active hobby farmer to a paralysed patient trapped in a system that will do almost anything to avoid the truth. It is about battling a crippling disease and, at the same time, fighting for justice and the right to be heard. It took sheer will and determination, a tenacious partner who refused to give up on me, and a miracle diet to claw back my life.

This book traces the collision between personal catastrophe and institutional denial: navigating hospitals, specialists, and compensation schemes that insist the benefits outweigh the risks, even as my body told a different story. Along the way, it asks uncomfortable questions about consent, accountability, and what happens to those of us who become the “rare cases” policy-makers would rather forget.

This is a first-hand account of what it means when “doing your bit” breaks the social contract on your body, and a challenge to how many lives like mine can be written off as acceptable risk.