Adjusting to civilian life was difficult, so I started weight training and quite soon after that I signed up for my first Strongman contest. After that first contest, I was hooked! I loved everything about Strongman from training to competing. I was competing in competitions all across the U.K. at a good level, qualifying for Britain’s Strongest Man in my federation! However, in 2014 I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis! I’ve had a number of symptoms from spasms to mobility issues to hand issues. I have Secondary Progressive MS meaning my MS never gets better just progressively worse. I have multiple permanent scars on my spine due to previous attacks. I now suffer from mobility issues meaning I need to use a wheelchair or other mobility aids. This was a huge blow to me, I didn’t know what to think because MS is called a snowflake disability and no 2 cases are the same! All I knew was I wouldn’t be able to compete in the competitions that I loved…or so I thought!!
In 2016, while searching YouTube and watching people compete in Strongman competitions I stumbled across someone doing disabled Strongman! Immediately, I got on to searching all about disabled Strongman and came across a great community all with the same goals. My first disabled contest was the South of England’s Strongest Adaptive Man where I placed 1st and got the world record in the Seated Deadlift! A few months later, I competed in my first Britain Strongest Disabled Man and placed 3rd. I then took some time away from the sport to focus on my health. When I came back I placed 3rd again and was invited to the 2019 Worlds Strongest Disabled Man competition but this contest was in Canada which was a lot to consider in such a short amount of time.
As the 2020 contests came closer, I was training hard. That’s when Covid happened and we thought the contests would be called off! Luckily, we were still able to compete in December where I placed 2nd in the Strongman Disabled Man in the World competition and came 1st in Britain!
Through my transition from being able-bodied to having a disability, I have learned that your dreams and aspirations don’t have to end. The way you get to achieve your dreams is to learn how to adapt.
Mission Stadiums for Multiple Sclerosis (MS4MS) is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to raise awareness of MS at all sports stadiums while raising funds directly for families with MS Warriors and for the advancement of research at the Johns Hopkins Project Restore MS Research Center in hopes of finding a cure.
Together, we are #spreadingORANGE!
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