A DALTON army hero will make it to next month's Invictus Games to inspire his daughter after recovering from his recent brain tumour surgery.

Inspirational Kevin Kell, had a brain tumour successfully removed in June and then spent two weeks in intensive care overcoming pneumonia.

Now the 39-year-old Army Sergeant has been given the okay to travel to Toronto, Canada, to represent the UK team at the Invictus Games.

Sgt Kell, a veteran of Afghanistan and Iraq, will play in the first ever golf event at Prince Harry's international sporting event for wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women.

The Royal Engineer of 22 years suffered traumatic brain and lung injuries while serving in Afghanistan in 2011. He also suffered post-traumatic stress disorder and a hearing impairment. Sgt Kell spent a year in and out of hospital and received rehabilitation at the Help for Heroes recovery centres of Headley Court, Surrey, and Phoenix Centre, Catterick.

Sadly, Sgt Kell lost his wife, Joanne Kell, 39, to cancer in July last year. They have a two-year daughter, Faith. In November 2016 Sgt Kell was diagnosed with a brain tumour. The tumor grew and was causing him sight loss so it was removed 10 weeks ago at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield.

The logistical specialist would miss his daughter's second birthday while getting over pneumonia in hospital.

He is now back out on the golf course training for the Invictus Games, which he is competing in to make Faith proud and show her what can be achieved even in times of adversity.

"All I want is for my little girl to be proud; she means the world to me," he said.

"Invictus for me is something to achieve while getting better. It's a legacy for to me to show my little girl what can be done when the chips are down. People think life is against them, but there is help out there. You can get help, rise above it and achieve."

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Sgt Kell, who is based between Dalton and Rotheram, Yorkshire, is looking forward to Faith seeing her daddy on TV and telling her more about the experience as she gets older.

"The timing has been very close between my surgery, my recovery and the games.

"I'm massively excited. When I started the journey of trying to qualify for Invictus you always hope you'll get picked, but there was a lot of us that went for the trial.

"Invictus gets bigger and bigger, and it's something servicemen and women are proud of. It gets us out there and back into sport and networking.

"It's also not just about the Invictus, but what you do afterwards as well."

He got on the road to Invictus with Battle Back, an MOD initiative at Headley Court which encourages rehabilitation through sport for injured service people.

Sgt Kell has been playing golf for 15 years and, between now and the games, he is training at Barrow Golf Club.

He said: "Golf for me is my stress reliever, I can chill out. It's brings my stress from up there to a normal level. I'm in a bubble enjoying the time. Every golf course also has a stunning views.

"I'm now trying to get as much golf practice in as I can."

The soldier is driven by doing well for his daughter, and said: "Faith is two now, she's got no mum, her dad has been ill, and we have been through hard times, but we always come through it. We are doing ok and take each day as it comes. There is help out there and we have used that.

"Faith is such a happy little girl; she's the apple of my eye. She's my little apple and she's amazing. When I'm down, lonely or sad I just need to look at her. She is one happy little girl and her smile is infectious.

"Joanne always said she wanted to see Faith's first birthday and she just managed it. She would be proud of us."

Sgt Kell is also inspired by his Invictus teammates. He said: "There are guys and girls out there playing sport who are worse off than me, so why should I moan? If they can do it, I can get up and do it. I take inspiration from them. Our captain, Bernie Broad, is massively inspirational."

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The soldier, who is to officially leave the Army in November, met Prince Harry at the Invictus launch event and they chatted. Sgt Kell said: "Prince Harry is a fantastic ambassador for the Invictus Games. He cares about the lads and lasses. He wanted to know everyone's story and how we got there; for me it was quite a big story. He listened and encouraged us and said he looked forward to seeing us at Invictus."

Sgt Kell has thanked family and friends - including best pal Brian Wilson, who is going to Toronto - the medics, the Army, Help for Heroes, Battle Back and other organisations who have helped and supported him along the way.

"Everyone has been fantastic - thank you to them all," he said.

Dalton's two Invictus Games heroes

REMARKABLY, two Daltonians will be flying the flag for Furness at the Invictus Games 2017.

Also competing in Toronto, is our Paralympic and Invictus hero Charlie Walker.

This will be a third Invictus for the former Army private. The multiple gold medal winner will be a member of the wheelchair basketball and wheelchair rugby teams, as well as coaching the sitting volleyball team.

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Like Sgt Kell, Mr Walker is a former Dowdales pupil. The sportsman, who now lives in Retford, fell ill with meningitis in 2006 while serving in the Army. The illness resulted in a double below-the-knee amputation.

He credits sport as being a vital part of his recovery process, saying it gives him a a sense of purpose, allows him to set new higher goals, while also keeping him physically fit and mentally strong. Mr Walker is now helping others achieve their goals through coaching.

His proud parents still live in Dalton and are active volunteers for Help for Heroes.