An aspiring Shetland chef who lost his arm to a rare cancer is close to raising the funds for a bionic replacement.
After a scan revealed a tumour on his wrist, Joseph Williamson had his arm amputated above the elbow.
Doctors said that without the surgery at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary the 27-year-old could have died.
Mr Williamson, from Lerwick, is, however, determined that will not put and end to his dreams.
He needs to raise £42,000 to afford a replacement bionic arm, which would give him the same functions as an able-bodied person.
And the GoGetFunding page set up by his sister Gillian, 37, is just £7,000 shy of its goal.
Mr Williamson was diagnosed with cancer in 2011 and told The Daily Record: “I had days to get my head around it and then I was taken into theatre.
“I was devastated. I knew my life would change but I just had to get on with it.
>> Keep up to date with the latest news with The P&J newsletter
“The main thing was that I was still alive and I just had to adapt to doing things with my left hand.”
Now, so close to the fundraising target, Mr Williamson said, “The new device will connect to my upper arm and will give me the change to transform my life.
“I’ll be able to tie my shoelaces, write and put on a belt – little things people take for granted.”
The discovery of bone sarcoma – a cancer untreatable by chemotherapy or radiotherapy – when he was just 20-years-old was, at the time, shattering to Mr Williamson’s hopes of becoming a chef.
His diagnosis came shortly after he had finally rid himself of other health problems.
When he was younger, he caught a virus that caused inflammations in his brain that led to seizures.
But the advanced bionic arm would allow him to grip objects and potentially fulfil that dream at last.
He said, “I’ve always loved cooking but, since losing my arm, it has become pretty much impossible.
“Simple things like chopping vegetables and preparing nice meals have become an obstacle. Having a bionic arm will give me my life back.”
His sister Gillian added: “Joseph has been through so much and he never complains. He just gets on with things.
“He’s coped so well with one hand but we know this could give him the life and career he has dreamed of.”