Faron Paul flexes the tendons in his neck: “Watch this,” he says. On the right side, his throat stretches in the visceral, unnerving but perfectly natural way you’ve probably tried in the mirror.
On the other, a lop-sided mesh of sinew and muscle, straining to carry out the basic task, is revealed. It’s incomplete, and the reason is anything but natural. When he was just 19, Faron was stabbed nine times whilst defending his sister from an unprovoked attack.
Three years later, he was stabbed again. Again, nine times. Again, defending a loved one.
After the two incidents, Faron had felt the unrelenting steel of a knife’s blade penetrate his skin and cleave through his flesh a total of 18 times.