Playing sport was an integral part of my former career in the Royal Air Force. During my time within the military, I was fortunate to play Rugby, at home & overseas on tours throughout Europe, USA, and South Africa. Unfortunately, my ability to continue enjoying the sport I loved was cut-short when I was medically discharged in 2013, after being diagnosed with a form of Spastic Paraplegia. This rare, degenerative condition causes significant lower limb weakness, muscle stiffness & involuntary spasms, which severely affects my mobility – effectively, my legs are slowly dying from the feet up. As a result, I had to give up playing rugby, the sport that had defined me throughout my military career.
After leaving the military, I struggled to find a sense of purpose & realised that something was missing. With nothing else to aspire to, I was left fatigued, frustrated, & emotionally exhausted, focusing on what I couldn’t do, rather than what I could do. This negatively affected my family life & wellbeing. In 2018, I decided I needed to make a change. I initially attended a Help for Heroes taster session in Nottingham where I had the opportunity to try several adapted sports, including wheelchair rugby. This turned out to be a revelation. Not only was it a catalyst for me to start playing sport again, it also led to me applying for the Invictus Games. As part of this process, I also wanted to find a civilian wheelchair rugby club to join, to help improve my fitness and increase my overall understanding of the sport. I subsequently noticed an advert promoting a new wheelchair rugby club that was looking to be established in Hatfield. That club was Saracens.
