Follow the link to see a wonderful video by Scot Weller of the BADER BRAVES enjoying one of the Douglas Bader Foundation’s Young Aviator Flying Days at Bodmin Airfield, 2011.

This great little film captures the spirit of the day perfectly and encapsulates what these wonderful events are all about. Thank you, Scot

Please click HERE to see Scot’s film.

After 240 years of trading in the pretty and fascinating market town of Holt in Norfolk, the family run business of Baker & Larners has moved into the area of aviation (probably for the first time) and thrown it’s support into The Bader Braves Young Aviators project by naming The Douglas Bader Foundation as one of its “Charities of the Year” for 2011.

The Douglas Bader Foundation's Keith Delderfield gratefully accepting the cheque from Jane Gurney Read and members of the Senior Management Team of Bakers and Larners

On Thursday 16^th February a cheque for a magnificent £1512.32 was presented by Jane Gurney Read and members of the senior management team to Keith Delderfield, Director of Operations DBF. In accepting the cheque Keith said “this fantastic donation has enabled our Bader Braves programme to become well established in East Anglia. Thanks to your invaluable support we were able to hold an exceptional event at Seething Airfield in 2011 brilliantly organised and hosted by Steve Hiscox and members of the Seething Flying Group. Our East Anglian event is to be repeated in 2012 but this time at Old Buckenham Airfield on 25^th August (see full Braves programme at www.douglasbaderfoundation.com).

No visit to Norfolk is complete unless you make a visit to this wonderful store; it is a labyrinth of a department store in which every turn offers something different. We are indebted to all those at Bakers and Larners (www.bakersandLarners.co.uk)  for making this wonderful donation to us today”

Calling all BRAVES!

To Tangmere Aviation Museum, Tangmere, Nr. Chichester, West Sussex, PO20 2ES

on Saturday, 26th May

We are indebted to Tangmere Aviation Museum for inviting BADER BRAVES to a free guided Museum tour.

You will be able to:

• Hear the story of Douglas Bader
• Try the Flight Simulator
• Eat a free Packed Lunch – kindly organised by the Tangmere Museum Volunteers

This is a unique opportunity to visit and learn more about the Battle of Britain Flying Ace, Douglas Bader, who was based at Tangmere

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We will be publishing more details as we get them, so please keep watching this space.

You can contact Keith Delderfield if you’d like more information in the meantime:

Email: douglasbaderfdn@btinternet.com Tel.: 01442 826662

Peter Saywell Track Day at Goodwood Race Circuit, West Sussex

Saturday, 31st March 2012

* Come and watch supercars race round the legendary Goodwood Motor Racing Track *

• Free Admission
• Parade Lap of Cars
• View Cars in The Pits

All Racing Drivers have paid a fee to race with fees and donation going towards the Douglas Bader Foundation Bader Braves Young Aviator Flying Day at Goodwood Aero Club on the 12th August.

* Please click HERE to download a printable Flyer of the above image

Here is the first information regarding the BADER BRAVES Young Aviators’ Days for 2012.  We have again increased the days on offer and the geographical area we can cover so you’ll see some new venues along with the old favourites.

This is initial information only so that you can get an idea of what dates to keep free. We’ll be publishing more details as soon as we have them. In the meantime, if you have any queries, you can always contact Keith Delderfield by email: douglasbaderfdn@btinternet.com or by telephone: 01442 826662

Please note that we also have some other exciting activities in the pipeline. If they’re anything like as successful as our recent Winter Wonderland Weekend, they’ll be very special events indeed. The dates are there for your diaries but again we’ll be putting up more information as soon as we have it so keep watching this space…

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CONFIRMED 2012 SCHEDULE OF BADER BRAVES YOUNG AVIATOR FLYING DAYS FOR YOUNGSTERS WITH LIMBLOSS AND YOUNGSTERS WITH OTHER DISABILITIES

• 12/13 MAY – MORAY FLYING CLUB, KINLOSS
• 2 JUNE – RAF WADDINGTON, LINCONLNSHIRE
• 10 JUNE – WEST LONDON AERO CLUB, WHITE WALTHAM, MAIDENHEAD
• 16/17 JUNE – SCOTTISH AERO CLUB, PERTH
• 30 JUNE/1 JULY – PEMBREY AIRPORT, SOUTH WALES
• 7 JULY –  EAGLES WINGS TRUST CAERNARFON AIRPORT, SNOWDONIA
• 4/5 AUGUST – HEADCORN, ASHFORD, KENT
• 12 AUGUST – GOODWOOD AERO CLUB, WEST SUSSEX
• 18/19 AUGUST – CORNWALL FLYING CLUB, BODMIN
• 25/26 AUGUST – OLD BUCKENHAM AERO CLUB, NORWICH, NORFOLK
• 8 SEPTEMBER – EAGLES WINGS TRUST CAERNARFON AIRPORT, SNOWDONIA

TO BE CONFIRMED – ULSTER FLYING CLUB; CARLISLE.

* PLEASE ALSO LOOK OUT FOR TWO OTHER SPECIAL DAYS FOR BADER BRAVES !! *

• 31 MARCH – PETER SAYWELL TRACK DAY, GOODWOOD RACE CIRCUIT, WEST SUSSEX

COME AND WATCH SUPERCARS RACE ROUND THE LEGENDARY GOODWOOD MOTOR RACING TRACK.  FREE ADMISSION, PARADE LAP OF CARS, VIEW CARS IN THE PITS. ALL RACING DRIVERS HAVE PAID A FEE TO RACE WITH FEES AND DONATIONS GOING TOWARDS TO THE DOUGLAS BADER FOUNDATION BADER BRAVES YOUNG AVIAITION FLYING DAY AT GOODWOOD AERO CLUB 12 AUGUST.

• 26 MAY – TANGMERE AVIATION MUSEUM – INVITE BADER BRAVES TO A FREE GUIDED MUSEUM TOUR

HEAR THE STORY  OF DOUGLAS BADER,TRY THE FLIGHT SIMULATOR, FREE PACKED LUNCH- ORGANISED BY THE TANGMERE MUSEUM VOLUNTEERS. A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO VISIT AND LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN FLYING ACE DOIGLAS BADER WHO WAS BASED AT TANGMERE.

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As always, the Douglas Bader Foundation is extremely grateful to all the Airfields and Flying Clubs involved and to all the staff and pilots who so generously give their time.

We are also deeply grateful to all involved at the Goodwood Race Circuit and Tangmere Aviation Museum for offering these new adventures for our BRAVES.

There are some beautiful images of Kielder Water and surrounds and some great pictures that make it very clear that a very good time was had by all!

These can be seen in the Gallery on the BADER BRAVES page on the Website. Please click HERE to go straight to the Gallery Page and then click on the Gallery Link.

You can also see them underneath Keith’s previous REPORT by clicking on the link.

Do let us know if you’d like a copy of any of the photographs shown.

Kielder Water - Mirror calm

* Here is a selection of photographs that Keith took over the weekend. Clearly a very good time was had by all! *

Clicking on an image in the List Mode will enlarge it. Clicking on it again will then close it and return you to the Gallery.

(Please let us know if you’d like a copy of any of the photographs shown here)

[Show as slideshow]

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Our BADER BRAVES Winter Wonderland Weekend at the wonderful Calvert Trust, Kielder in Northumberland, which was held last weekend from the 27th – 29th January, was a great success as already reported.

The photos and stories are beginning to come in…

We are very grateful to BRAVE, Camron Hall, and his family for being the first to send photographs of the event. It is clear that they had a wonderful time and there are some beautiful shots of a mirror-calm (and very cold-looking!) lake.

Soon to follow will be the “official” report from the DBF “Director of Operations”, Keith Delderfield, “who was there” and can vouch that a very good time was had by all – not least the DBF representatives themselves!

Heartfelt thanks to all at Calvert Trust. We’ve had nothing but praise about the care, encouragement and support you showed to the BRAVES and their families.

And a very big thank you, of course, to Camron for being there.

Here are his photographs, which you can see as a list or a slideshow:

(If you click on an image when viewed as a list, you can see it in a larger size. Clicking on it again will return you to the list.)

[Show as slideshow]

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The BADER BRAVES Winter Wonderland Weekend, held at Calvert Trust, Kielder, Northumberland over the weekend  (27th – 29th January), was a sparkling success in every way. From the frost on the ground to the enjoyment of the Braves and their carers and families.

There was an excellent response to this event resulting in a lovely diverse group. New friendships were made, new challenges undertaken and a lot of fun had by all amongst some of the most beautiful and spectacular scenery in the country.

There will be a full report to follow very shortly so keep watching these pages but, in the meantime, here is a video from David Bickers, CEO of the DBF, who was not only there for the event but celebrated his birthday as well. (I won’t give away his age though.) Keith Delderfield, the DBF Director of Operations, just managed to make it home by a whisker to celebrate his on Monday. (I definitely won’t be divulging his!)

We’d also love to hear from any BRAVES, their carers or family members. Please send us your reports and photographs so that we can put them up on the Website to show those who weren’t there what they missed!

Please click on the link to see David’s video. He’s getting so good at this we’re expecting to see the Oscar nominations come rolling in….

* Click here: WINTER WONDERLAND *

The Douglas Bader Foundation is extremely grateful to all at the Calvert Trust, Kielder for looking after everyone so well and for giving the BRAVES a weekend to remember.

Our thanks also to all those who attended. You made the Event what it was.

We received an email directed to the LLIC Website from Ben Richards, representing the Lincolnshire arm of Sitting Volleyball.

As he says, it’s a wonderful sport and unique in that it can be played and enjoyed by all.

Please check out the Website Link below and contact info@lincolnshiresittingvolleyball.co.uk for more information or to talk to someone about perhaps having a go.

We will be featuring more about this sport in future too so please keep checking in for updates.

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Hi Wendy

I’m not sure if you can help but thought I would try anyway.

I don’t know if you would have heard of sitting volleyball, its very similar to the standing game but is played sitting on the floor, its unique as can be played by both able and disabled players and mixed sex teams as well.

I am trying to build awareness of our sport and encourage new players but finding it hard to know where to start, it is a sport backed by Volleyball England and will be played at the Paralympic Games with Great Britain entering a team.

I don’t know if we could have a link on your site or if you can advise of other routes I could try?

Please have a look at our website to see what we do and if it is of interest.

www.lincolnshiresittingvolleyball.org.uk

There are a few places remaining on our fantastic Bader Braves Winter Wonderland Weekend at Calvert Trust, Kielder, Northumberland from Friday 27th – Sunday 29th January 2012.

This promises to be a wonderful experience with plenty to do for the whole family as well as presenting the opportunity to experience the superb venue and magnificent scenery in the depths of winter.

We can’t promise you snow but we can pretty much guarantee you a weekend to remember.

Don’t miss out on this great opportunity. If you’d like to book a place or find out more about the weekend, contact Keith Delderfield now by emailing: douglasbaderfdn@btinternet.com being sure to add “Winter Wonderland” in the Subject Box, telephone him on 01442 826662 or write to the Douglas Bader Foundation, 45 Dundale Road, Tring, Hertfordshire, HP23 5BU

Please click HERE to download a printable version of this Flyer to give to your friends or to display where it might attract other BRAVES

We’ll keep you updated as to his progress but feel sure you’ll join us in wishing this inspirational man the best of luck and success in his latest challenge for a brilliant and very worthwhile cause.

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DBF Ambassador Phil Packer, MBE

Phil Packer MBE has embarked upon a mammoth 2,012 mile walking challenge, starting at Chichester College, which will see him travel right across the country.

The former army Major who lives in the Chichester area will be walking the distance through every county in Great Britain which will see him finish in London in December.
The aim is to raise awareness for the British Inspirational Trust which supports young people facing adversity, and the need to build a Centre of Inspiration Excellence for the trust which will cost £15m.
Phil, the founder of the Brit, suffered severe spinal cord damage in 2008 and was told it was highly unlikely he would walk again.
Over the course of the year he will make his way through locations chosen by young people in every county of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, including Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man.
On the way, he will meet many of Great Britain’s youth who are facing physical and mental adversity, from community groups, schools, colleges and charities who will join Phil at the chosen locations where he will walk.
“The BRIT 2012 Challenge is the biggest I’ve undertaken and it is meets every principle my charity and I believe in,” he said.
“I’m asking 2012 businesses to pledge their financial support to share the costs to build the BRIT Centre. This means schools, colleges and universities can register for the BRIT 2012 Challenge to simply acknowledge and raise awareness of young people facing adversity by completing their 2012 miles as teams rather than fundraising.
“As part of the challenge I’m asking the British public to support their chosen charities by registering for the BRIT 2012 Challenge as teams or individuals.
“The BRIT 2012 Challenge is free to take part in – every penny goes to chosen charities and those charities do not have to pay costs to hold a fundraising event.”

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Find out more about the challenge, and what Phil has been up to in the Observer on Thursday, January 26.

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Please click on the photograph of Phil to visit his Website where you can find out more

We’ve had an excellent response to this exciting event and can just squeeze in a couple more families. It promises to be a great weekend and, with so many already taking part, is an ideal opportunity to meet up with other Braves and their families and make new friends while experiencing lots of fun and adventure in the gorgeous scenery at the Calvert Trust.

We urge you not to miss out on this fantastic opportunity – these kind of offers don’t come along too often – and we need to have all the names in by tomorrow evening (Tuesday 24th January) so do act now.

To find out more or reserve one of the last places, please contact Keith Delderfield now by emailing: douglasbaderfdn@btinternet.com being sure to add “Winter Wonderland” in the Subject Box or telephone him on 01442 826662

You can also click on Winter Wonderland to go to a previous post where you will find some more information.

Two of our new Douglas Bader Foundation Ambassadors, Margaret Biggs (Maggz) a b/k amputee, and Wyn Jenkins an a/k amputee, are cycling enthusiasts who already have quite a few thousand miles – and the occasional sore bottom, I’m sure – under their belts.

They are very keen to get a DBF Cycling Team together in much the same way as we have our loyal Team Bader running supporters. They are currently contemplating the many races and events on offer for 2012 and ear-marking some that might be suitable.

Maggz is also rebranding herself as DBF’s own Stella McCartney and overseeing the design of a very cool Team Bader Cycling Kit which can be worn by our intrepid supporters. This kit will be SO cool that you’ll want to be seen wearing it even if you hate cycling!! (Well – that’s one incentive to get fit and join “DBF Team Velo”…)

Cycling DBF is very much in its early stages but we are very excited about it and do hope that lots of you will join Wyn and Maggz on one or more of the rides and perhaps even introduce some fund-raising rides of your own. Joining these rides will be a great way of raising funds for the charity thereby supporting a very worthy cause and of bringing the Douglas Bader Foundation to the attention of others and spreading the word.

Cycling is a wonderful sport for amputees and, by joining one of these rides, you will not only get fit and reap the benefits of the exercise (great for circulation) but you are pretty much guaranteed to make some new friends  at the same time. Cycling DBF is about encouraging participation in the sport, there will be something for everyone – cyclists of all abilities and at all stages of their cycling career will be welcome.

Listed below are some suggested events. These ARE only at the “potential” stage at the moment as Team DBF rides but, if you see one that appeals to you geographically or otherwise, do please get in touch so that we can turn the potential into a reality.

FEBRUARY:-
NW WINTER SERIES – HQ Poynton Leisure Centre, Stockport
http://wintersportiveseries.blogspot.com
Event 1 Sun 12 Feb – 27/60 miles
£15 / EOL £20
Event 2        26 Feb     30/50
£15 / EOL £20
MARCH:-
JODERELL BANK CLASSIC
http://joderellbankcyclosportive2012.blogspot.com
Sun 11 Mar – 25/50/80 miles
£15 /£25   EOL £20/25/30
Manchester (TBC)
CTC NORTH WEST SPORTIVE AND CHALLENGE RIDE
http://ctcchallengerides.co.uk
Sun 18 Mar – 75 miles
£17/27      EOL £22/32
WIGGLE CHESHIRE CAT
http://kilotogo.com
Sun 25 Mar – 100/74/45 miles;
£33/30/22.50
APRIL:-
PENDLE WITCHES VINTAGE VELO
http://pendlewitchesvintagevelo.co.uk
Sun 8 Apl – 53/13 miles
£15/5
THREE SHIRES SPORTIVE – Buxton
http://www.threeshiressportive.co.uk
Sun 22 Apl – 100k
£15     EOL £20
WRYNOSE OR BUST – Army training camp, Lancaster
http://wrynose.org
Sun 29 Apl – 112/60/37miles
£33/27/25
MAY:-
BANK HOL W/E Sun 6 May
FOREST OF DEAN SPRING CLASSIC SPORTIVE - Monmouth Showgrd
http://www.wheelsinwheels.com
89 miles
£30      EOL £35
PRESELI ANGEL – Newport
http://www.velo-teifi.org.uk
40/80 miles
£10/15 EOL £13/18
ISLE OF WIGHT RANDONEE
100k

AMPUTEE GAMES – Stoke Mandeville
Sat/Sun    12/13 May

To register your interest or find out more, please contact Maggz directly in the first instance by emailing:leggz.space@rocketmail.com

The BADER BRAVES Young Aviators’ Days have been an enormous success since they became part of the Douglas Bader Foundation strategy to help children with amputations and other disabilities and their families.

Last year we held 9 of these immensely popular events and this year, despite the Olympics and the Paralympics, we intend to extend that.

We are continually adding to our list of participating airfields so that we can broaden our scope across the country and offer more BRAVES what is often their first experience of flight in a light aircraft.

This is a wonderful experience for the BRAVES and the joy and satisfaction they get from it is evident from the photographs and testimonials. It also provides a great day out for the families and carers.

We are currently planning our Young Aviators Days Programme for 2012 but you can expect to see your favourite venues and some new locations as well.

Please keep checking the BADER BRAVES Young Aviators Days Page for more information.

Not only have we been in existence now for almost 30 years following the charity’s inception after the death of Sir Douglas, 30 years ago in September this year (no mean feat for a small charity) but, during that time, we have gone from strength to strength with new initiatives and help for amputees and other disabled.

We recently incorporated BADER BRAVES, a joint acknowledgement of Sir Douglas Bader’s honourary Chieftainship of a Canadian Indian Tribe and the bravery of children with limb deficiencies and other disabilities specifically to help children. Our BADER BRAVES Young Aviators Days are already a proven success with a programme increasing every year and we’re broadening the BRAVES line-up to include more Adventure Weekends and many other activities and opportunities.

We have enlisted new DBF AMBASSADORS, thereby broadening the team and the support, advice and service we can offer.

Thanks to one of these Ambassadors, Margaret Biggs, and some loyal participants, the Limb Loss Information Centre Forum (reached either though the DBF or LLIC Websites) is now widely held to be one of the strongest and most successful in the amputee community. As well as being a communication centre, the Forum gives the opportunity for amputees, those with limb deficiency or their families, friends or carers, advice, support, or simply a sympathetic ear from people who have first hand knowledge and experience.

For one-to-one communication, we have our already popular LimbLine run by Leggz and available through the LLIC Website. Leggz will either be able to offer you advice herself or will put you in touch with someone who she feels may be in a better position to help. The DBF will, of course, endeavour to do the same if you contact the charity direct.

With another of our Ambassadors, Wyn Jenkins, the DBF is intending to create a Peer Support Programme, an ambition dear to Wyn’s heart and certainly an enterprise that we know Sir Douglas would back wholeheartedly as well. He spent many hours and travelled hundreds of miles to visit and encourage amputees and other disabled people and it was as a result of literally sackfulls of letters received following his death by those he inspired with his motto: “an amputee who fights back is not handicapped but inspired“, that the DBF was created in the first place.

The LIMB LOSS INFORMATION CENTRE, an online resource created to guide individuals with congenital or acquired limb loss and their friends, family and carers through the emotional, physical and psychological process of coming to terms with limb loss, was set up in 2005 by the Douglas Bader Foundation with the help of the Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust. We are about to revamp  this Website to bring the information up to date with some of the amazing advances and developments in both medicine and Prosthetic Technology and the opportunities that offers for amputees and those with limb deficiency. In the meantime, we hope that you will still find the information on the site comprehensive and useful but, if there is anything you can’t find or feel should be there and isn’t, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us so that we can put you in touch with the right person to help. We are always delighted to have your input and positive suggestions.

We are going into 2012 with more supporters than ever and plan to make this a bumper year for the charity. The Bader Braves Young Aviators Day schedule will soon be announced and we already have a Winter Wonderland Adventure Weekend set up for Braves with more to follow as well as a variety of sporting events and challenges that you can become involved with.

Several of our Ambassadors have exciting ventures planned or in the pipe-line for 2012 and we will keep you informed so that you can support them and thereby the DBF. With 2 of the Ambassadors being keen cyclists, we anticipate a flurry of cycling events to support or participate in so keep watching this space! Designs for a cool DBF Supporters Cycling Kit are already underway…

You can find out more about all the aspects of the Douglas Bader Foundation mentioned above through the various pages of the Websites or, for any information you can’t find, by contacting us direct.

However…We need your help. The Douglas Bader Foundation relies almost entirely on donations to continue our vital work on behalf of amputees and other disabled so do, please, keep supporting us.

Your Support

You can do this by sending in donations or organising events etc. to raise funds. We will always be happy to offer advice and support with events you organise on our behalf and will be able to publicise them on the Website. You can also participate in other organised events, which will be posted on the Website hopefully in plenty of time for you to get fit and enter for! We are also delighted to have your participation and support in the form of ideas and suggestions and, of course, input to the Website in the form of relevant stories and photographs etc..

We look forward to hearing from you and to your participation in 2012. Please help us to continue our positive start to 2012 and to make this the charity’s best ever year.

Thank you from all at the Douglas Bader Foundation

CALLING ALL BRAVES!

There are a few places remaining on our fantastic Bader Braves Winter Wonderland Weekend at Calvert Trust, Kielder, Northumberland from Friday 27th – Sunday 29th January 2012.

This promises to be a wonderful experience with plenty to do for the whole family as well as presenting the opportunity to experience the superb venue and magnificent scenery in the depths of winter.

We can’t promise you snow but we can pretty much guarantee you a weekend to remember.

Don’t miss out on this great opportunity. If you’d like to book a place or find out more about the weekend, contact Keith Delderfield now by emailing: douglasbaderfdn@btinternet.com being sure to add “Winter Wonderland” in the Subject Box, telephone him on 01442 826662 or write to the Douglas Bader Foundation, 45 Dundale Road, Tring, Hertfordshire, HP23 5BU

Please click HERE to download a printable version of this Flyer to give to your friends or to display where it might attract other BRAVES

Donna Ponessa, 50, gives Otto, a Dutch warm blood, a hug before a training session at Woodstock Farm in Millbrook. / Spencer Ainsley/Poughkeepsie Journal

Ponessa, who has multiple sclerosis and is paralyzed from the chest down, said she didn’t think she could ride unless she hunched slightly forward.

“I can’t breathe if I sit up straight,” she explained.

Dunham shook his head.

“That’s no excuse. Find a way around it,” he told her.

So Ponessa did. She spent more time in the gym doing exercises to strengthen her chest muscles.

“I have so few muscles that work that the ones that do have to be really, really strong,” Ponessa said last week as she prepared for her daily training session at Dunham’s Woodstock Farms stables in the Town of Washington.

Overcoming obstacles, such as learning how to breathe while sitting on a horse, has become a way of life for Ponessa. And her tenacity is paying off. She won gold medals in international dressage competitions in Mexico and Australia last year. And while she insists she still has plenty of work to do, she’s considered a good bet to be selected to compete for the United States in the Paralympics in London in August.

Ponessa’s journey hasn’t been smooth. She was a 20-year-old college student when she was first diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1982. She “sort of shrugged it off,” she said.

“I was in big-time denial,” she recalled. “I looked at it as something I’d get over.”

By 1986, Ponessa needed a wheelchair and she calls those early years of losing her ability to walk “a really dark period.” She had learned to ride horses when she was a child growing up in New Windsor but had all but abandoned hope of resuming the sport as her body failed her.

Then one day in 1991 she met an amputee in a wheelchair in a mall in Middletown.

“The guy asked me if I liked sports and I said yes,” she recalled. “He told me I was going to play on his wheelchair basketball team.”

Ponessa played for a couple of years before switching to wheelchair tennis and achieving national ranking. She began to ride horses again in 2008, met Dunham in 2010 and has risen to the top of her sport.

Ponessa works for the Westchester Independent Living Center helping disabled adults and children make the transition from nursing homes and rehabilitation centers to the community. She said her clients sometimes view her as a role model, and she’s not always comfortable with it.

“There are people who don’t have physical disabilities who have it tougher than I do,” she said. “I don’t think of myself as somebody with a disability. I’m just Donna.”

Click HERE to see a video by Spencer Alnsley of Donna training for her Paralympic dream

By Tom Degun

January 9 – Visually impaired Northern Ireland sprinter Jason Smyth (pictured) has vowed never to turn his back on the Paralympics despite the fact that he is closing in on a place at the London 2012 Olympics.

Smyth in the running

The 24-year-old from Derry announced himself to the world by claiming gold in the T13 100 and 200 metres at the Beijing 2008 Paralympics, smashing the world record in both races.

Smyth went on to make history as the first Paralympian to compete at an able-bodied European Championships, where he reached the 100m semi-finals, before he went to the able-bodied World Athletics Championships in Daegu, alongside fellow Paralympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius, and narrowly missed out on a semi-final place.

Smyth is now back in training at the National Training Centre in Clermont, Florida alongside high profile stable mate Tyson Gay as he looks to secure Olympic qualification but he admits that the Paralympics will be a huge priority for him whatever happens.

“I’ll never stop with the Paralympics,” Smyth told the Irish Independent.

“That’s where it started and no matter what I’ll be, I’ll always be a Paralympic athlete.

“Winning two gold medals at Beijing, you’re always going to want to go back to that.

“The Olympics is a target to reach for.

“You have to aim high or you won’t push yourself [but] I’m never going to treat Paralympics any differently.

“It’s been massive to me and it’s always going to be extremely important.”

Smyth’s 100m personal best of 10.22sec is just four-hundredths of a second shy of the 10.18 that he needs to qualify for the 2012 Olympics and he is confident that training in Florida with the likes of Gay, Keston Bledman, Nickel Ashmeade and Travis Padgett will help him achieve his goal early in the year.

“I’ve been here the last couple of years so I know what I’m getting myself in for,” he said.

“I’ve noticed how much harder we train out here, just the volume and the intensity.

“Athletes are very, very talented but I suppose hard work is part of the reason why the Caribbeans and the Americans are the best in the world.

“At home, the reality is we don’t have the facilities, we don’t have the weather and the athletes to train with.

“So there can’t be many better places in the world to learn.”

On 21 January 2008, American teenager Mallory Weggemann’s life changed forever.

Two months short of her 19th birthday, she walked into a clinic in her native Minnesota for the third of three epidurals to help ease the back pain she had been suffering. But something went wrong with the procedure and she lost the use of her legs.

Four years on and out of the depths of despair, Weggemann has become a record-breaking swimmer and will aim to mark her Paralympic debut in London with nine gold medals.

Weggemann had been a keen swimmer from the age of seven and in April 2008 was taken along, somewhat reluctantly, to the US Paralympic trials by her elder sister, who had seen an advertisement for the meet in Minnesota.

Seeing the competitors in action made her realise that swimming was still an option and two days later she was back in the pool.

“I always say swimming has saved me and has helped me move forward in life,” Weggemann told BBC Sport. “It gave me strength and the realisation that being paralysed doesn’t have to stop me having goals and ambitions.

“Swimming while paralysed is totally different to swimming able-bodied. Your body positioning in the water is different when you have dead weight on your lower half and I’ve had to work hard on my technique, which is difficult but fun.

“I feel free when I’m in the water and being able to still do something I have loved for such a long time is special.”

Weggemann woke up in the early hours of the morning during the Beijing Games to watch the swimming sessions online, and was inspired by what she saw. Fuelled by determination and hard work, her dream of being able to achieve a Paralympic place has moved swiftly to reality.

She explained: “When I watched the Beijing Games, I had only been training for a few months and, although I had seen improvements in my training, I didn’t know how realistic a target appearing at a Paralympics actually was.

“It didn’t really hit me that it was a realistic goal until spring 2009 when I first made the US team. Then, in August that year – when I broke my first world record – I realised I could be a contender not only to make the Games but to medal.”

After a stunning international debut at the IPC World Short Course Championships in Brazil in November 2009, where she broke six world records and won five gold medals, Weggemann came to prominence at the 2010 World Championships in Eindhoven.

She was the most successful athlete at the event, winning eight golds and a silver, setting nine world records in her category and marking her out as a likely 2012 star.

Despite a bout of illness which kept her out of the pool from late 2010 until spring 2011, she recovered in impressive style at the Pan Pacific Championships in August with nine golds and another world record in the 100m backstroke, before ending the year with another world record – her 17th – in the 800m freestyle, which is a non-Paralympic event.

And, unsurprisingly, Weggemann admits her targets for next year are bold. “I have high goals for London – I can compete in seven individual races and, if I am selected, two relays,” she said. “My aim is to win gold in each event and improve on my world records in each event, which would mean nine gold medals.”

That would see her approach the feat of fellow US swimmer, Trischa Zorn, who won 12 golds – 10 individual and two relay titles in both Seoul in 1988 and Barcelona 1992.

“I’m excited to see how all my hard work pays off in London and to be part of Team USA at the Games. I think the atmosphere will be different and something I’ve never experienced before. I know it will be one of the most memorable events in my life.

“I was asked on American television in August 2009, ‘If you could change the events of January 2008, would you?’ and I found myself saying, ‘No’. Although I would do everything possible to walk again some day if the technological advances were there, I would never go back and change that day.

“The journey that life has taken me on since then and the things I have learned about myself and the opportunities I have been given have changed me as a person in so many ways that I wouldn’t be me if that day never happened.

“I’ve done more in the last four years than I think I ever would have done walking. It is still kind of surreal to me that this is my life and this is the path it is going on.”

Please click HERE to go to the original page where you can see a video of Mallory setting a new world record in Eindhoven

By Tom Degun

January 5 – Representatives from the British Paralympic Association (BPA) have returned from their first official visit to Rio de Janeiro as part of their preparation for the 2016 Paralympic Games.

The delegation, led by BPA performance director Penny Briscoe, travelled to the future host city to scout the key venues and locations for the Rio 2016 Paralympics and to meet with both the Rio 2016 Organising Committee and the Brazilian National Paralympic Committee.

“Whilst we are clearly working very hard on preparation for London, it is absolutely crucial that we look beyond [2012],” said Briscoe.

“We are already working closely with our winter sports and planning for the next Winter Games in Sochi in 2014 and then of course the focus will be Rio.

“This trip has given me a good insight into what we can do over the coming months to begin preparing for the 2013-2016 cycle so that, when the flame goes out at the Closing Ceremony in London, we have our plans for the next Summer Paralympics already in hand.”

Britain have finished second on the overall medal table at the last three Summer Paralympic Games after superb performances at Sydney in 2000, Athens in 2004 and Beijing in 2008.

They are aiming for another top two finish at the London 2012 Paralympics but Briscoe warned that Britain must continue to prepare as thoroughly as possible in order to continue to be successful at the biggest disability sporting event on the planet.

“Every Games has its own unique challenges,” she said.

“For Beijing we had to ensure all our preparations, particularly in regards to handling the heat, humidity and hydration, were spot-on and for London we are working through the challenges unique to a home Games.

“This trip was invaluable for us to start to understand what we will face in Rio.

“It was also tremendously exciting to hear first-hand from the Organising Committee about their plans.

“Already, five years out, it gives me goose bumps to think of what the Games will be like there.

“It’s a fantastic place for the Games to be moving onto.”

Tim Hollingsworth, BPA chief executive, added that Rio 2016 is a major priority for his organisation despite the huge media attention on London 2012.

“A substantial part of my remit is to ensure that the BPA is in a strong position after London so that we can look forward to more medal success in Sochi and in Rio,” he said.

“Penny’s recce is an important part of getting our plans underway in earnest.”

Bryall McPherson was a promising young tennis player, until circumstances forced her to hang up her racquet four years ago.

Now she is making waves as a world class swimmer.

If she is not in the pool training six times a week, McPherson is studying at university, hip-hop dancing or line umpiring on a local court.

And McPherson is still piling more onto her plate.

“[My dream is] to go to the London Paralympics, that’s the ultimate dream for me,” she says.

At 22, McPherson only has one arm.

In many ways the faulty serve helped save her, alerting doctors to an aggressive tumor in her arm which was likely to take her life unless amputated – a choice McPherson never questioned.

“Halfway through the chemo they told me I [could] keep my arm [and] I’d be dead a year late or I’d take the arm off and be able to live a longer happier life,” she says. “But it would be different life, and at that stage I just thought – I want to live.”

And it was that passion for life that mum eve says helped her cope.

“One time when I was in hospital sitting and crying and keep asking the question why Bryall, she’s so fit and healthy,” says her mum Eve.

“She suddenly come to me and said ‘mum, either you commit suicide or walk with me and still be here’,” she says.

It wasn’t just her arm that was shattered in 2008 but her hopes of becoming a professional tennis player.

After loosing a tennis scholarship to North Carolina she sought after a new dream.

“I YouTubed Paralympics swimmers and Sophie Pascoe comes up, and I watched her and I was like, she’s only got one and a half legs, that’s amazing. I could absolutely do this.”

And she has, currently holding 10 New Zealand Paralympics records.

And with sights set on London, her qualifying campaign gets underway next month in Hamilton.

Cancer may have taken her arm, but nothing is holding this girl back.

Please click HERE to go to the original page where you can see a video of Bryall training

The rivalry between Jerome Singleton and Oscar Pistorius is a friendly one

Jerome Singleton says that his 100m showdown with Oscar Pistorius will be a highlight of the London Paralympics.

The American sprinter beat the South African double amputee at last year’s World Championships in New Zealand.

He is now hoping to do the same again in the Paralympic final on 6 September.

“It’s going to be a phenomenal race. The quality of amputee sprinting at the moment means this race is going to be the best ever,” Singleton told BBC Radio 5 live.

“You will see Oscar and I racing head-to-head and we will both be trying to make it the best show possible.”

Singleton, 25, had his right leg amputated below the knee when he was aged 18 months as a result of a birth defect and after playing basketball and American Football as well as competing in hurdles, he moved to Paralympic sport in 2006.

He finished second to Pistorius in the 100m at the Beijing Paralympics but at that time was combining training with studying maths, applied physics and industrial engineering at the University of Michigan.

Following his dramatic photo-finish victory in New Zealand and now as a full-time athlete, he is targetting another big victory.

“The goal is to go out there and try my best and reach my potential this year,” he added. “I look at Oscar like a brother. He’s like a best friend but I want to beat him when it comes to competition.”

Celebrity faves: David Shearer

DAVID SHEARER - Labour leader Photo / Sarah Ivey

What is your favourite book?

This would have to be Douglas Bader’s Reach for the Sky, the life story of the RAF pilot who lost his legs, became a POW and was eventually knighted for his work in helping others with disabilities.

Why?

It was the first “adult” book that I read. I would probably have been around 10 at the time, and for a young kid it was a hugely exciting read. Here was a guy who was a real war hero – he lost his legs, he was imprisoned in Colditz, he made numerous escape attempts. And after his release he went on to do exactly what he wanted to do. Derring- do and heroism at their best.

How many times have you read it?

Numerous times, as a kid.

What is your favourite movie?

I don’t have a favourite movie as such, but one that stands out is The Lives of Others. It’s a German film about a Stasi officer during the Cold War who is forced into spying on people, until he discovers, for want of a better word, his humanity.

Sadly the lead actor [Ulrich Muhe] has died.

Why?

It’s a great film – thought-provoking and compelling – about a man torn between his conscience and ideology.

Frostbite occurs after ­exposure to extreme cold, when the blood flow to the exposed area stops and the affected area of skin becomes frozen.

Is it serious?

Yes, and it should be treated as an emergency, but there’s a first-aid routine you should carry out immediately. If treated quickly, frostbite has no lasting effect, but severe cases can lead to gangrene and ­eventually amputation.

What should I do first?

Get the person out of the cold immediately and ask ­someone else to call for medical help.

Don’t apply direct heat or rub the affected part. If toes or fingers are frostbitten, immerse them in warm water and add more to keep the ­temperature constant. If you have no warm water, put the ­person’s hands or feet under your ­armpits, or hold their ­face against ­your body.

Wrap the person in ­blankets and give them hot drinks. Don’t let them walk on a frostbitten foot.

When the affected part becomes pink, stop warming it and wrap in ­anything that will keep in the heat. Go to the ­nearest ­casualty department.

While you’re travelling to the hospital raise their feet or put their hands across their chest to keep the blood flowing.

How to recognise Frostbite from the BootsWebMD:

The signs and symptoms of frostbite vary depending on the extent of injury caused by the cold. Frostbite is usually described as either superficial or deep:

Superficial frostbite

During the early stages of frostbite, you will have pins and needles, throbbing, or aching in the affected area. The skin will become cold, numb and white, and you may feel a tingling sensation. This stage of frostbite is also known as frostnip and is common in people who live or work in cold climates. The extremities, such as the fingers, face (nose and ears), and toes, are most commonly affected.

After these early signs, prolonged exposure to cold temperatures will cause more tissue damage and the affected area will feel hard and frozen. When you are out of the cold and the tissue is thawed out, the skin will turn red and blister, which can be painful. There may also be swelling and itching.

This is known as superficial frostbite because it affects the top layers of skin and tissue. The skin underneath the blisters is usually still intact but medical treatment is needed to make sure no lasting damage occurs.

Deep frostbite

When exposure to the cold continues, frostbite becomes increasingly severe. The skin becomes white, blue or blotchy and the tissue underneath feels hard and cold to touch.  There may be further damage to tendons, muscles, nerves and bones beneath the skin.

Deep frostbite requires urgent medical attention.

As the skin thaws, blood filled blisters form that turn into thick black scabs. At this stage it is likely that some tissue has died, this is known as gangrene and may have to be amputated (cut off) to prevent infection.

Some people experience long-term symptoms after recovering from frostbite, this can include loss of feeling in the affected area and an increased sensitivity to the cold.

The gift of donated human tissue meant that Susan Cossabone was able to avoid leg amputation and return to her passion of horseback riding following a devastating accident.

Cossabone will join 27 other float riders from around the country Jan. 2 on the Donate Life float in the Tournament of Roses Parade. The float, now in its ninth year, is a tribute to the millions of people touched by organ, tissue and blood donation.

Cossabone, of New Jersey, always had a gift with horses and a passion for riding. To fulfill that passion, she owned a 10-acre ranch, Hidden View Farm, with 26 horses. Not only did she ride for hours a day, Cossabone also rode competitively, helped retrain difficult horses, and set up an equine summer camp for at-risk and mentally and physically disabled children. Her passion kept her motivated as she managed most of the ranch alone.

This all changed on a snowy day in 2009. Driving home from dropping off a friend, a car slid out of its lane and struck Cossabone’s vehicle head on. Witnesses called 911. Due to winter weather the emergency response was slow and Cossabone’s injuries were grave: on her right leg her kneecap was ripped off, both her tibia and fibula were fractured and her foot was dislocated.

Once at the hospital, Cossabone’s leg was saved with surgically implanted titanium rods. “I hoped I would be able to walk again,” she says.

Despite this hope, Cossabone was told that she could never ride again. As a result of her injury, she had to greatly reduce the number of horses she owned, from 26 to 10. Her summer camp was unable to continue, but the remaining horses were taken care of thanks to generous help from previous campers.

In a heartbreaking development, her injury then became worse; the metal rods in her leg broke and the doctors began to talk about amputation. Cossabone refused to accept that option, but nearly every doctor she saw told her the same thing. She could not walk at all by this point, and spent all of her time in a wheelchair.

Desperate to avoid amputation, she found Dr. Mark Myerson through an Internet search. Describing her initial conversation with Myerson, Cossabone says, “He was the only doctor who did not talk only about amputation. He promised me nothing except his help.” Cossabone did not have the option of a traditional ankle replacement because when the rods in her leg broke, the screws had become imbedded in her ankle, causing even more damage.

In April of 2010, Cossabone began the first of several surgeries with Myerson that would attempt to repair her leg. First her entire ankle was removed and bone cement was added to take the place of missing bone. In the second surgery, Dr. Myerson added bone grafts to the ankle, and in a third surgery he added AlloStem Stem Cell Bone Growth Substitute in an attempt to jumpstart her own body’s reproduction of bone in the injured leg. AlloStem, made by tissue bank AlloSource, uses adult mesenchymal stem cells derived from fat tissue, as well as bone from deceased tissue donors, which helps to stimulate natural bone formation. Cossabone calls AlloStem a “miracle little thing.” Myerson says there were no guarantees that AlloStem would work to regrow the bone in her leg, but by December, bone began to populate in small amounts.

Cossabone was told in January 2011 that her leg no longer risked amputation. Since then, significant bone growth has continued in her injured leg. By spring 2011, Susan was able to have her knee cap replaced and she realized her initial goal, she walked again. In the fall 2011 she triumphantly reached another milestone, she returned to her passion of horseback riding.

“The trip to Dr. Myerson’s office is a five-hour round trip – with no traffic. But I don’t care. I am going to go for two, three, even four opinions before losing a limb,” Cossabone says. 

NEW YORK — People come up to Aimee Mullins (pictured) all the time and say, “you know, I have to tell you, you just don’t look disabled.”

Aimee Mullins

The record-setting athlete, actress and model says, “And it’s sweet because I know that they’re confused, and they’re telling me this because they know I’m missing both legs from the shin down, but they’re presented with this package of a highly capable young woman. This has happened all over the world. I tell them it’s interesting because I don’t feel disabled.”
She believes that people are not born disabled. “It’s society that disables an individual by not investing in enough creativity to allow for someone to show us the quality that makes them rare and valuable and capable.”
Mullins was born without fibula bones and was expected to use a wheelchair to get around. Her legs were amputated below the knees when she was a year old. She learned to walk, bike, swim and play sports using prosthetics.
While a student at Georgetown University, she competed in the NCAA Division I, using pioneering carbon-fiber prosthetic devices designed to imitate the hind legs of a cheetah. At the Paralympics in 1996, she set world records in several track events, drawing attention that landed her on magazine covers and in one media “best of” list after another.
Mullins was featured in a 1999 show by the late fashion designer Alexander McQueen and has gone on to a career as an actress. In an interview with CNN.com, she said she’s beginning work on a screenplay about the life of scientist Rosalind Franklin, whose discoveries helped lead to the unlocking of the structure of DNA.
In a talk at last year’s TED MED conference in San Diego, Mullins explored the concept of disability and talked about how overcoming adversity is something everyone must confront, in one way or another.
Mullins spoke to CNN March 8. Here’s an edited transcript:
CNN: You spoke at the TED MED conference about the negative connotations of the term “disabled.” How important is it that we get the language right?
Aimee Mullins: It’s not so much the word itself. The idea of being politically correct is not the goal here. It’s how we use the word very casually as a label to try to encompass somebody’s value to our community and the worth of their contribution to our community. That’s what we need to get right.
I’ve had so many letters from parents or medical professionals who will say, I didn’t even think about how casually I’ll tell someone oh, I have a disabled child. It never even occurred to them that if they really stop to think about it, their child may have a specific medical condition that can be defined as paralysis or autism or being an amputee. …it’s how we use words and how they shape what we think about difference and other people in our community.
CNN: In your own life, how significant have these kinds of words been?
Mullins: Well for me I never ever felt the ownership or any identity with any community of disabilities. I didn’t grow up being told that I was a disabled child. After the ’96 games, and I was competing in Division I track at Georgetown and I was starting to get mainstream press … where I’d be on the cover of a magazine that was heralding my speed and athletic prowess and it would say, “Disabled athlete Aimee Mullins runs faster than most people on the planet with flesh and bone legs.” And I thought how does a journalist miss that, and just casually write “disabled athlete.”
I’ve had journalists asking me what do we call you — is it handicapped , are you disabled, physically challenged? I said well hopefully you could just call me Aimee. But if you have to describe it, I’m a bilateral below the knee amputee.
Ten years later, watching Oscar Pistorius go through many of the same issues I had 10-12 years ago, I realized that our language just hasn’t caught up with the opportunities technology is providing for people…
I feel like today there’s a different sense, so much more widespread, of people feeling like they don’t want to be negated, they don’t want to be marginalized, they want to make their own definitions of their identity. They want to identify themselves.
CNN: You have said that there’s a stigma relating to differences between people. Do you think, just setting the word aside, is there still a stigma relating to physical limitations such as being an amputee?
Mullins: There’s much, much less of a stigma here. It’s my own personal experience that parents of children today who are amputees have an entirely different view. I think a lot of this is because of the Internet. They have so much more access to information and to learn about what prosthetics are out there. And a sense of sheer numbers, to learn that you’re not alone. …
I’ve been in developing countries where being an amputee and indeed having any kind of physical or intellectual or emotional disability is highly stigmatized. I was in Kibera [in Nairobi, Kenya], one of the largest slums in the world, last fall, and mothers of babies born with club feet are encouraged to abandon these children. If the babies are born with Down Syndrome, they’re encouraged to abandon them.
If the mother doesn’t actually abandon the child, the child is kept in a backroom in a shack and literally does not see the light of day. And the child is not even counted. When I asked a mother how many children she had, she told me she had three, but there were four. I was sitting in their living room and her three year old had been born with his head enlarged and the rest of his body wasn’t developing at the same rate.
I had a really disturbing message from a doctor who was at TED MED and heard me speak and went to Haiti immediately after the earthquake — he’s an anesthesiologist. And he said, we have to talk because I have so many patients down here who are choosing death over amputation.
And so I’m sure that part of the social stigma in a developing country when employment and work are already scarce, it’s hard for people to imagine how they could support their family financially with a different body.
CNN: How does technology play into this and how is it changing the lives of amputees?
Mullins: Technology’s a huge factor. There had been a real dearth of technological advancement since the last world war. …
I grew up as a teenager having this wonderful naivete about, well I can go see something that James Cameron dreamt up and [Oscar-winning visual effects designer] Stan Winston built it. Why can’t I have that for my body? Or I would go into Madame Tussaud’s wax museum and see the kind of artistry was done there for a leg. Why can’t I combine that with Stan Winston’s doing?

It was a very lonely voice echoing in the wilderness… And I really think because of the two wars we are in right now and because of the fact that we have so many young men and women in this situation, it’s unthinkable that we’re willing to make a 19-year old irrelevant by not giving them their capabilities. And that’s why you’re seeing so many leaps in progress.
Again with the growth of the Internet, so many more people are saying I found some designer in Silicon Valley who’s using a 3-D printer to create a model of a prosthetic leg and customize it and print it out. There is that sense of possibility that’s been so expanded because of technology and because so many more people have accepted this invitation to come into the conversation. I’ve had fashion designers, graphic designers, and communication designers, people who don’t have engineering backgrounds, who don’t have medical backgrounds, who are very intrigued by the idea of creating prosthetics for assistive devices…
The idea of prosthetics is a tool. Most people’s cell phones are prosthetics. If you leave your cell phone at home, you feel impacted by not having it. It’s an important part of your daily function and what you can do in a day.
CNN: How much of your own time do you devote to raising awareness about these issues?
Mullins: I’m not an advocate for disability issues. Human issues are what interest me. You can’t possibly speak for a diverse group of people. I don’t know what it’s like to be an arm amputee, or have even one flesh-and-bone leg, or to have cerebral palsy.
I don’t speak for such huge and diverse groups. What I’ve tried to do, what I’ve been fortunate to do, is to live my live and create my life as I’ve wanted to create it. To be able to live with such an autonomy has itself raised awareness.

(From Media dis&dat – March 2010)

EQUESTRIAN star Anne Dunham has been given a massive boost ahead of next year’s Paralympics after being named the Sunday Times Disabled Sportswoman of the Year.

The Broad Hinton rider picked up a team gold and two individual golds at the European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships in Belgium earlier this year on board her horse Teddy.

Her achievement was recognised at a ceremony at the offices of the Sunday Times in London on Wednesday night.

The 63-year-old is classified as a grade 1a rider, the level for the most disabled riders, after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when she was 27, and has been wheelchair bound since she was 30.

Dunham has won five Paralympic gold medals since first competing in Atlanta in 1996, and her latest award will take pride of place with the other prizes she has picked up in her glittering career.

“I am absolutely amazed to have won this award, and it was a real surprise for me,” she said.

“I am immensely proud and honoured to have picked up the award and I think it says a lot, not only for how well I have performed this year, but also for the sport as a whole.

“It has been a very good year for me which has culminated in this award, but it is special for the sport too because it gives it a massive lift and is recognition of the big strides it has made in the last few years.

“I could not have done this without the help of my sponsors Sally Anne Brown, Pammy Hutton and James and Jill Hussey, as well as Optimum Mobility, so it has been a real team effort.”

Dunham will now focus her attention on winning one of only five places on the British Paralympic team for the London games next year, and told the Advertiser taking part in her fifth games would be even more special than the previous four.

“We will not find out until June or July whether we have made the team, but I would like to think I have a decent chance,” she said. “I need to keep up the form I have shown this season so far and produce it again, and if I do that, I think I can get there.

“It would be amazing to compete in the Paralympics again, and to do it in London would be even more special.

“It is something I never thought I would do, but to have competed four times already and then to compete in London is truly amazing. Greenwich is a superb setting, and I am looking forward to hopefully competing and raising the profile of our sport.

“The eyes of the world are going to be on London, which will mean people will see our sport who have not seen it before and we will be able to show it off in all its glory.”

Captain Beighton, of Radbrook Green in Shrewsbury, was injured in a blast in the notorious Helmand province in October 2009.

But after being encouraged to take up rowing as part of the military’s ‘Battle Back’ initiative, which supports injured soldiers, he is eyeing the possibility of collecting a medal at the London Games next year.

The former Radbrook Primary School and Meole Brace Secondary School pupil said the sport had given him a renewed purpose in life following the injuries he suffered.

He is now going through an intensive training programme, which sees him in the gym or on the water two or three times a day for six days a week, in an attempt to secure a place in the Great Britain rowing squad for the Paralympics in the adaptive trunks and arms mixed double scull event with Sam Scowen.

Captain Beighton, 30,  said: “Every day, we have to tell ourselves that if we are tired, we just have to keep push ourselves that little bit further.

“Ours is one of the most competitive classes. The six teams that reach the final will be very closely matched, so we are going to have to be on the top of our game.”

The soldier needed 36 pints of blood in transfusions to keep him alive after he trod on an improvised explosive device.

But he said that he was still determined to make the most of every opportunity that comes his way.

“How I live my life is that you have got to look for the positives. Getting blown up and losing my legs is a pretty horrendous thing to happen but you have to learn from it and take the positives,” he said.

Captain Beighton said that despite being a Shrewsbury lad and growing up close to the River Severn, he had never taken up rowing in his younger years.

But he said he was now hoping to do Britain proud in the Paralympics after discovering a natural aptitude for the sport when he took it up 18 months ago.

He said: “It was 60 years since the Olympics were in London and it might be 60 years before the next time, so it is a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

From the Shropshire Star

You are an inspiration, Nick. With your courage, determination and “Bader Spirit” you deserve to succeed. We all at the Douglas Bader Foundation wish you the very best of luck in achieving your goal.

Edward Holt, 19, of Waltham, was diagnosed with osteosarcoma – a rare cancerous tumour that affects teenagers.

He spent a full year in hospital having chemotherapy and on New Year’s Eve, 2010, Edward – a keen tennis player and county standard footballer – had his leg amputated below the knee.

However, he refused to let the experience ruin his life.

Ten months ago he started playing wheelchair tennis and is now ranked 10th in Great Britain and represents his country.

Edward is aiming to compete in the 2016 Paralympics and is hopeful he may even qualify for the London games next year, although he is competing for a spot against some very well established players.

As well as hoping to play at the games, Edward has now been notified that he has been nominated to carry the Olympic torch when it comes to the area on June 26, as an “inspirational” athlete.

Edward said: “Getting to carry the torch is a huge honour.

“When I was first diagnosed with cancer I thought my life was over.

“Now I find I am getting opportunities that I would never have had before.”

As well as playing tennis, the former Franklin student is doing a sports performance degree at Leeds Metropolitan University, after completing an A level in leisure studies while in hospital.

He is now hoping to inspire other young people and will do his first motivational talk at the Oasis Academy Wintringham on Thursday, January 5. Edward said: “When I was young I didn’t make the best of my education, but now I am at university studying for a degree.

“What happened to me made me realise that you have to make the best of the cards you get dealt and the opportunities that present themselves to you. You may hate your teachers, but they are there to help and if you get your head down and get on with things, it will lead to a better future.”

If you want to book Edward to speak at a function or event, call him on 07912 317739.

You truly are an inspiration, Edward. We all at the Douglas Bader Foundation wish you the very best of luck with your bid to compete in the 2016 Paralympics.

Now Jody Schloss has advanced her passion to the equestrian world’s biggest stage as a member of Canada’s Paralympic equestrian team.

“I have been riding since I was 11. It’s in my blood,” Schloss told CTV News through an electronic speech-generating device.

The sport took on new meaning for Schloss when she lost the ability to walk in a car crash that left her in a three-month long coma and killed her best friend.

“Now it’s a feeling of freedom of being able to go out on a nice day and enjoy being with my best friends, my horses,” she said.

Schloss, who trains with her horses nearly every day, spent the summer competing in Europe preparing for her spot on Canada’s lauded Paralympics equestrian team.

“Determination, really, is one of her biggest and best qualities,” said Schloss’ coach Jessica Rhinelander. “She always wants to go out there (and) do her best all the time.”

Shortly after returning home, Schloss decided to ramp up her training by moving closer to her beloved horse stables. It didn’t take long for Schloss to find an unlikely landlord willing to help her out.

The 38-year-old Paralympian moved into a retirement home where she now spends her free time with a set of new friends that are more than twice her age.

“She certainly doesn’t fit the profile of our normal resident,” said retirement home manager Don Henderson.

Over time, Schloss has been able to bridge the generation gap and give back to the seniors home in her own special way.

“She has such a spirit and she’s so brave and so courageous,” said resident Lisa Otten. “I sometimes feel we all need something of that.”

Please click on the link to see, for  a limited time,  a video of Jody training for the Paralympics: http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Canada/20111210/horseback-rider-paralympics-111210/#ixzz1gJMJBQ8E

Sam and Oliver Hynd both hope to represent their nation at the London Paralympics, with both brothers under very different pressures to achieve success.

As part of their build-up to what the duo hope will be eventual Paralympic glory, the Hynd brothers were part of 200 disabled athletes who competed in the Nationwide Short Course Swimming Championships over the 26th and 27th November.

It was a particularly memorable event for on-form Ollie, who set a new European record in the 200m IM with a time of 2min 26.45 seconds – an honour previously held by Sam.

The event is a vital part of the Paralympic preparations with the selection trials to decide the final GB squad just three months away.

Second-born Ollie is bidding for his first Paralympics medals having claimed two medals at July’s European Swimming Championships in Berlin.

And the 17-year-old is relishing the prospect of representing Team GB on British soil but knows he has a long way to go yet before achieving his dream.

“My biggest goal is to make the team,” he said.

“We’ve got long term goals but there’s a lot of stepping stones to get there.

Just making the team would be a dream come true.”

Big brother Sam (20) realised that dream in Beijing three years ago when he smashed the world record and won gold in the S8 400m freestyle. But, despite being the reigning Paralympic and European champion, he’s not taking a team berth for granted.

“There are absolutely no guarantees and it all hinges on the trials,” he said. “But it’s a very exciting position to be in.”

After his experiences in 2008, there’s no doubt he would love a repeat in London.

“The biggest thing for me is that all my friends and family can see me participate in such a big event,” he added. “To know that everybody would be so close is a wonderful thing.”

For mum Helen, seeing her boys competing to win Paralympic gold is a very proud moment.

“It’s quite nerve-wracking as a parent to watch them, but at the same time I’m really proud of what they’re doing,” she said.

Helen has been backing her boys since their earliest days in the pool at Sutton Swimming Club and has given up a great deal of time and money to help them pursue their dreams.

Despite the brothers being diagnosed a few years ago with neuromuscular myopathy – a condition affecting their lower body strength – she says it has never held them back.

“Just seeing them doing what they’re doing is remarkable,” she said.

“I’m very proud that they’re seeing beyond their disability. It’s like Ollie says – ‘it’s about ability, not disability’.”

Coach Glenn Smith is certainly satisfied with progress.

In his 16 years with Nova Centurion – the county’s elite swimming club – he’s worked with the likes of Mansfield’s double Olympic champion Rebecca Adlington as well as coaching Sam to his medal in Beijing.

Now the 46-year-old is targeting similar success with record-breaking Ollie.

“We knew he was swimming well, but not that well.” said Glenn.

Much like his athletes however, he knows there is a long way to go before London 2012.

“We’re not even thinking beyond March,” he said. “We’ve got to qualify for the team.

“This is just one step towards those trials. But with how things have gone today, I’m pretty happy.”

But, despite their fierce rivalry in the pool, the brothers know they will need to support each other if they are to meet again in London next year.

“We both just want the best for each other,” said Sam. “We might race each other, but at the end of the day, I’m happy for what Ollie’s doing and I’m sure he feels the same way.”

Said Ollie. “We’ve got a really good relationship so we can just talk about how we’re feeling,

“It’s really nice to be able to do that.

“Seeing Sam achieve what he has is only motivation. He’s an inspiration.”

Rebecca Lawes

Rebecca Lawes was awarded a grant from the disability charity Papworth Trust to help her train for the Rio games in 2016.

The 18-year-old Impington Village College sixth-former was born with cerebral palsy and has moderate learning difficulties.

She has refused to let this hold her back, and won four golds when she swam in her first National Disability Championships in Sheffield this year.

She said: “I am determined to perfect my strokes, improve my strength and stamina, and improve my times.”

Papworth Trust offers grants of up to £400 to help young athletes compete in the London Games or in Rio.

David Martin, trust director, said: “Rebecca showed the ambition and drive to succeed on a world level. Papworth Trust is proud to help her to achieve her goals.”

COMBAT boots to save the feet of soldiers who tread on roadside bombs are being developed by scientists.

The new boot would be insulated with putty to absorb then deflect the blast from an anti-vehicle mine.

The impact is then directed to the shin bone which can be rebuilt more easily than a foot. About 300 troops have had amputations after stepping on improvised explosive devices in Afghanistan in the past 10 years.

Shockwaves from bombs can also cause internal injuries which are hidden for days. Scientists hope to develop a test for blast lung – the most common cause of death among survivors of explosions. Symptoms include bruising, bleeding, swelling and lung damage which severely slows their ability to deliver oxygen to organs.

The boot is being developed at the new £8million Royal British Legion Centre for Blast Injury Studies at Imperial College London. Chris Simpkins, Legion director general, said: “Enhancing the quality of life for the injured, potentially reducing their long-term disability and dependency, while protecting our servicemen and women better in the future, is of major importance.”

- THE Armed Forces face more “very painful” cuts, Defence Secretary Philip Hammond told an MPs committee yesterday. He admitted: “It is going to be a very challenging process.”

By SIMON TOMLINSON

The Row2Recovery crew photographed before their departure from La Gomera this morning (5/12/11)

A group of British servicemen, including four amputees, will tomorrow embark on a gruelling challenge to row the Atlantic.

The six-man team – of whom four lost limbs during service in Iraq or Afghanistan – will leave La Gomera in the Canary Islands tomorrow heading for Barbados.

The journey of around 3,000 miles, hoped to take 40-50 days, will see them spend Christmas and several of their birthdays on the high seas.

The team will row ‘self-supported’, so must take no support or accept any items on board as soon as they leave the starting port.

They will have to alternate between hours of rowing and two-hour rest spells in the cabin of the specially-tailored boat, dealing with anything from torrential rain to gale force winds and bright sunshine.

Dubbed Row2Recovery, the challenge is the brainchild of three former British Army commanders who trained together at Sandhurst and also served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Ed Janvrin, Alex Mackenzie and Tony Harris saw friends and comrades suffer life-changing injuries, while Mr Harris lost his left leg when an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) detonated under his vehicle in Afghanistan in May 2009.

Able-bodied ex-captains Janvrin and Mackenzie, 32 and 33, will join four injured servicemen on the challenge.

Lieutenant Will Dixon, 27, was a platoon commander with Third Battalion, The Rifles, when he stepped on an IED in Sangin, Afghanistan, 10 days before Christmas 2009. Surgeons at Camp Bastion performed a below-knee amputation on his left leg.

Corporal Neil Heritage, 31, was a member of the Royal Signals bomb disposal team in Iraq when a suicide bomber detonated a device a few feet away in November 2004, when his wife was six weeks pregnant with their second child. He needed double above-knee amputation and doctors initially predicted he would never walk again but he is now a school athletics coach.

They will be joined by Corporal Rory Mackenzie, 30, a medic who was on a routine patrol in Basra City in January 2007 when he was blown up by a roadside bomb which traumatically amputated his right leg. He now works as an instructor at Keogh Barracks, teaching fellow medics.

Lance Corporal Carl Anstey, 26, is also taking part in the challenge – a member of First Battalion, the Rifles, he was hit by the blast from a rocket-propelled grenade in Musa Qala, Afghanistan, in January 2009, the day after his 24th birthday. The damage from shrapnel shattered his femur and severed his sciatic nerve and surgery left his right leg almost two inches shorter than the left and he needs a leg brace to walk.

The group has already raised £601,000 – and at the end of the challenge the total cash raised will be distributed between three key military charities: Help for Heroes, the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA) and ABF – The Soldiers’ Charity.

After months of preparation, they are ready to leave tomorrow, said Row2Recovery spokesman Sam Peters.

Speaking from La Gomera today, he said: ‘It’s just a case of sorting out the final details really, making sure everything’s packed and all the food’s there and the safety equipment, and all the communications equipment.

‘We think it will take between 40 and 50 days. They are ready to go, I think they are all really just desperate to get going.

‘Some of the guys have been building up to this for well over a year. The training has been done, the eating has been done, they have been eating pizza and beer – they need to put on some weight, they’re expected to lose up to 25% of their body weight. Some of them will come back looking pretty thin.

‘There’s a great team spirit and they have really really bonded together, they are a really, really impressive bunch of guys.’

The six-man team are expected to leave La Gomera tomorrow at 12.30pm – there is currently no time difference.

Details on the challenge will be posted on its website on www.row2recovery.com

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* All at The Douglas Bader Foundation wish Row@Recovery the best of luck with this inspirational challenge and the success that your courage and determination deserves. We know that Sir Douglas would approve wholeheartedly and be with you in spirit all the way. *

* We will be following the team’s progress on their journey to Barbados, so please keep checking in for updates *

Van der Vorst lost the use of her legs as a teenager in an operation to her ankle that went terribly wrong. At the time of her recovery she was introduced to hand cycling as exercise to help her in her rehabilitation. She went on to win two silver medals in hand cycling at the Beijing Paralympics.

Monique van der Vorst

Then in 2008 tragedy struck Monique for a second time. She was involved in a car accident that paralyzed her from the waist down.  But this woman did not stop in the face of tragedy. She worked on her rehabilitation with determination. Then again she had an accident. She suffered a crash running into a teammate in 2010 while training. But something miraculous happened. She began getting the feeling back in her legs and eventually managed to walk again.

So now this amazing 27-year-old Dutch athlete has been signed by the prestigious Rabobank women’s team, meaning the former wheelchair and handcycle racer will now line up against elite able-bodied riders. I’m talking about full-blown world road race champions here.

Monique van der Vorst

“My development has been very quick. I never could have imagined one year ago I would be here,” Van der Vorst said. “All the training I did in the last 10 years gives me a good base.”

Van der Vorst’s initial goal is just to keep pace with the peloton in women’s racing, but she has also set her sights on competing in the road race at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

What an inspiration van der Vorst  is to not only people with disabilities…. but to all of us. To show what one can do with strength and determination and to never give up hope, no matter how bad things look.

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And a follow up to this story by Jacqueline Burt writing for The Stir on December 12th:

It’s not often that getting into an accident is actually a positive thing, particularly for an athlete. But the accident Paralympian Monique Van der Vorst had last year may very well be the best thing to ever happen in all her 27 years. It may also very well be the most incredible reversal of fortune I’ve ever heard in my life.

The handcyclist from the Netherlands was paralyzed from the hip down since the age of 13, but didn’t let that stop her from becoming a silver medalist. She wasn’t going to let it stop her from becoming a gold medalist, either. But while she was training in her wheelchair for the 2012 London Paralympics, she was suddenly hit by a bicycle. The accident could have derailed her plans entirely.

Instead, it did quite the opposite.

Van der Vorst was recovering in the hospital when something amazing happened. Amazing isn’t even the word, really. I don’t think a word exists to describe what happened next. It’s the kind of thing that, if you saw it in a movie, you’d roll your eyes and go, “Yeah, like that would ever happen.”

What happened next was this: Van der Vorst’s feet started tingling.

That’s right, the accident unparalyzed Van der Vorst.

Doctors can’t explain how Van der Vorst regained movement of her body. As for the fact that Van der Vorst is now training as an able-bodied cyclist with the goal of competing in the 2016 Olympics — nope, not the Paralympics, the actual Olympics — well, nobody can explain that one. Van der Vorst’s miraculous physical turnaround defies logic. (Hence the use of the term “miraculous.”)

Certainly Van der Vorst’s strength, spirit and determination played a huge role in her recovery. But there’s got to be a little bit of magic or luck or grace at play here, too. Either way, if this story isn’t proof that anything is possible, I just don’t know what is!

Do you think miracles can happen?

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Jonnie Peacock, Britain’s own Blade Runner, has already shaken Oscar Pistorius’s cage. It was on a mountainside near Christchurch, New Zealand, during the Paralympic World Championships there in January.

‘Oscar saw the rust around the cable car  and he didn’t really like being on it,’ says  Peacock. ‘I was shaking the car. He wanted me to stop. He said, “If you think I’m a good runner, you should see what a good boxer I am”.’

Jonnie Peacock - Britain's answer to Oscar Pistorius

The two men are likely to meet in the 100metres (T44) at the Paralympics in  London. The arithmetic says that Pistorius will be out of reach: his world record (shared with America’s Marlon Shirley) of 10.91sec contrasts with Peacock’s best of 11.47.

It is Pistorius, the South African phenomenon, who features on British billboards. He who hopes to make history by running against able-bodied athletes at next  summer’s Olympics.

And he who will write a column for Sportsmail.

So Peacock might as well forget challenging at the front? That depends. At 18, he is seven years younger than Pistorius and has scope to improve dramatically after recently moving from his hometown of Cambridge to train full time in London under UK Athletics’ respected coach Dan Pfaff.

Whatever 2012 brings, Peacock’s story is an inspiring one. He had his right leg amputated below the knee when he contracted meningitis at the age of five. ‘I don’t remember anything about the period except my mum driving me to the hospital,’ he says.

‘I was in my Power Rangers duvet and she was speeding through a few red lights to get me there. They say people can block out bad episodes they don’t want to remember, or perhaps I was just too young to remember it all.’

Some scars from the blood poison that ate away at his skin remain, mostly on his lower body.

‘What I do remember is going to school afterwards in a wheelchair,’ he says.

‘I didn’t play outside with the other kids. I picked girls to stay in with me at lunchtimes. It is also when I got to know Martin, who is still my best friend. Perhaps he didn’t have any friends at the time and thought he’d befriend the disabled kid.’

He smiles, meeting his misfortune with equilibrium. He also recalls a hopping race his mother, Linda, asked the school to stage on sports day. Young Peacock pulled off his prosthetic leg and bounced to victory by 20 metres. Parents and teachers were moved to tears.

During those early years, he played football and rugby, stuck-in-the-mud and kiss-chase without a problem. ‘But then the  mental side of it hit me when I  was 13,’ he says. ‘I walked home and it should have taken 20-30 minutes. I was in pain and it could take me two or three hours. I would get very worked up.

‘I thought, “Why me?” a lot. “Girls won’t find me attractive”. It was a dark period for some months. I wondered what it would be like to have two legs. But when I was 14-15 I started going out with a girl called Deenie and that helped me so much.

‘There was some bullying until I got older. They had names for me like Peg Leg and Long John Silver, but only about three or four names — those guys weren’t the cleverest.’

Peacock’s route into athletics opened up when he attended a talent identification day at Mile End, east London, at the end of 2008. He did the 60m sprint, pistol shooting and wheelchair tennis, using his ordinary prosthetic leg rather than the blade in which he now competes.

His performance as a runner led to him being set up by the British Paralympic Association and UK Athletics with coaching at Cambridge University’s athletics track. His times tumbled.

At Christchurch, when he wasn’t winding up Pistorius, he finished fifth in 11.63, a fine result in his first major competition. Despite injury, he improved through last year,  raising hopes that he could win a medal at the London Paralympics, not just in Rio four years later.

Now living in Southgate, a  50-minute journey to UK Athletics’ base in Lee Valley, he trains and recovers more professionally. His weights sessions are now six times a week rather than once or twice.

Only last week a scan, organised at the click of a finger, immediately indicated he should rest his knee whereas before he would have ploughed on through the pain unsure of what exactly was wrong.

Can he emulate Pistorius by competing in the Olympics, say in Rio? ‘A bit far-fetched,’ says Peacock, a BT Ambassador, pointing out that he is unlikely to be able to match the explosive power of the fastest men in the world over 100m and that he, unlike  Pistorius, is not equipped for 400m.

‘Oscar is such a brilliant guy and is running such great times,’ adds Peacock. ‘He can run the best times he’s ever run next year. I hope so because he has brought so much to Paralympic sport. Even people who do not know much about the Paralympics know him.

‘Everything he does is a plus for us. I’d love to have his status in the world. It takes a lot of work.’

December 4 – The London 2012 Paralympic Games have received a major funding boost after the National Lottery confirmed their grant of £66 million ($103 million/€77 million) for the competition as part of the overall Public Sector Funding package.

As part of the public funds already agreed in the bid commitment, the grant money will contribute towards costs which include transitioning London 2012 sporting venues from Olympic to Paralympic mode.

“This demonstrates the significance of Paralympic sport in the world today,” said Olympic Lottery Distributor chair Dame Janet Paraskeva.

“We are pleased to have helped to fund the London Paralympic Games.”

In total, up to £2.2 billion ($3.4 billion/€2.5 billion) of Lottery funding is being invested in venues and infrastructure for London 2012, as well as supporting around 1,200 elite athletes to benefit from world class coaching and support.

“The Paralympic Games will bring inspiration and excitement to the UK and London next year and the public will get to witness sport like never before,” added London 2012 director of Paralympic Integration Chris Holmes.

“Support from organisations like the Olympic Lottery Distributor will help us deliver the best Paralympic Games possible.”

The London 2012 Paralympics will take place from August 29 to September 9 and feature around 4,200 athletes, including South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius, British swimmer Ellie Simmonds and Australian wheelchair racing legend Kurt Fearnley.

LESS than a quarter of disabled people and just 11 per cent of Britons overall are excited about the Paralympics, a poll has shown.

Apathy towards the Games is rife, according to the ComRes poll commissioned by disability charity Scope, with less than a third of disabled Britons and 18 per cent of the nation planning on watching all or most Paralympic events.

A significant proportion of disabled Britons also believe that the Paralympics is condescending to disabled people, while only one in five thinks it is inclusive.

A total of 22 per cent believe it is patronising and 20 per cent think it makes disabled people appear second-class. Just 23 per cent see it as empowering, while 61 per cent think it is an opportunity for disabled people.

Nine per cent think that the whole thing is a waste of money, compared with 5 per cent of the nation as a whole.

The charity also found that two-thirds of disabled people polled have experienced aggression, hostility or name-calling – up from 41 per cent in May.

And 46 per cent said they experience discrimination on at least a weekly basis, compared with 50 per cent in May.

Alice Maynard, chairwoman of Scope, said: “Changing attitudes is about visibility and increased familiarity in everyday life.

“But if the only disabled people that get any profile out of the Games are Paralympians – and their feats of sporting success – then it is unlikely that the Games will do much to change people’s perceptions of ordinary disabled people.”

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And Tim Hollingsworth responds:

Tim Hollingsworth, chief executive officer of the British Paralympic Association, said: “No one disputes that the Paralympic Games has a crucial role to play in changing perceptions of disability.

“However for Scope to suggest that it would be appropriate to scrap the competition now and combine it with the Olympics fails to appreciate its unique purpose, scale and power.

“The Paralympics is already the second largest sporting event in the world, and London will see it take another huge leap forward in terms of awareness and understanding.

“We are working hard, along with Channel 4, the BBC and the London 2012 Organising Committee, to raise the profile of the Games, our sports and athletes.

“The brilliant success of ticket sales and the increase in media coverage indicates to me that, contrary to the survey’s sample, there is a big public appetite for Paralympic sport.

“While there is an agenda in terms of attitudes and perceptions of disability, the BPA wants as many people as possible, both disabled and non-disabled, to watch the Paralympics next year because first and foremost it is a world class sporting event in its own right.”

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* What do you think? We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on this. *

LIBERTYVILLE — Having a prosthetic leg is not a disability, Mike Carzoli told about 125 fifth grade students Friday. He called it a “minor inconvenience” that doesn’t hold him back from anything — he can run, jump, play sports, go swimming and live the lifestyle he wants.

Libertyville Friday 12.02.11. Prosthetist Mike Carzoli talks to Butterfield School students about his experiences with a prosthesis on Friday, Dec. 2, 2011, at the school in Libertyville. Carzoli had his right leg amputated during a fight against cancer at the age of 18. | Buzz Orr~Sun-Times Media

Carzoli shared his personal story with students at Butterfield School as a tie-in to his wife’s class recent reading workshop. Carzoli’s wife, Mandy, teaches fifth grade at Butterfield and just finished a book with her class about a girl who was an amputee.

“I think (the presentation) sent a powerful message. Life is going to send you some trials and troubles. If you try, you can overcome them. I think that’s the important message,” Mandy said.

She said she tries to select books with good morals like “The Running Dream,” the book the class just finished reading. The book dealt with prosthetics and that is something she and her husband deal with every day, she said.

She invited her husband to speak. This was the first time Mike appeared at the school and addressed children.

Mike’s story encapsulated “all the things we talk about” like problem solving, said District 70 Superintendent Guy Schumacher.

He said he has known the Carzolis for several years. Schumacher used to be the building principal at Butterfield.

“He (Mike) has moved to another dimension of cool. It’s amazing that he’s here to spend time,” Schumacher said.

Mike lost his right leg (below the knee) to cancer in 1996 when he was 18. He said he went from being a healthy high school student to a cancer patient with few options.

He decided to go the amputation route and had a prosthetic leg later the same year of his surgery.

“Learning how to walk again was probably the most difficult thing to learn. I hope none of you go through that,” Mike told the students.

He learned to walk on his prosthetic leg, first using a walker, then a cane and then no additional support.

Mike went on to get a degree in math from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb and had a successful career in the insurance field as an actuary. He and Mandy have been married for about eight years.

About two years ago, when his wife had their son, he decided to go back to school to design prosthetics.

He brought working prosthetic legs and an arm to show the students.

“I think it’s amazing that people can actually make legs,” said student Kylie Skie, 11.

She said it was an incredible experience to touch a real prosthetic leg.

Fellow student Makenna Rudolphi, 10, was also impressed with the presentation.

“It’s really cool because I was really interested when we read the book about it,” Rudolphi said.

Mahran Agil, 30, used to work in a perfume shop. In his spare time, he loved buying, breeding and selling pigeons.

Then the uprising against Colonel Muammar Gaddafi began and he was catapulted into a bloody civil war.

“Gaddafi was killing the people of my country. I had to fight for them,” he says, sitting in a wheelchair in a large light rehabilitation room at Charing Cross Hospital in west London.

Soon he was fighting alongside friends and strangers in the battle for Tripoli, armed with a double-barrelled hunting rifle.

On 20 August, the day the capital fell to rebel forces, he was shot three times in his legs. One bullet exploded in his lower right leg, shattering the bones.

“In the first five minutes I felt nothing. After that I fell down,” he says.

He was taken to to a field hospital where he was given nothing but a cast and some painkillers.

Then at a military hospital, steel work was fitted to his lower leg before he was moved to Tunisia and then to Britain, after the UK government agreed to provide up to 50 places at specialist hospitals for Libyans needing surgery, prosthetic limbs and rehabilitation.

The request came from the new Libyan government, which is also footing the bill.

But by the time he arrived in Britain, the surgeons thought it was too late to save his lower leg.

“He’d had a severe injury to the bones to the leg but he’d also lost a lot of soft tissues all the way down to and including his ankle joint,” says plastic surgeon Professor Jagdeep Nanchahal of Imperial College Healthcare Trust.

“It was also clear he had deep infection because you could smell the bacteria.”

An amputation was recommended.

“He was disappointed,” says Professor Nanchahal. “He had come to us expecting reconstruction and had gone though multiple surgeries in other countries with that view, so it took him a little while to get his head around that.”

‘V’ sign

On 20 October, the day Colonel Gaddafi was captured and killed, Mahran’s lower right leg was amputated.

An X-ray showing the broken bones in Mahran Agil's leg before amputation

All infected tissue was removed and the bones were amputated at a point where they could provide a good lever for a new prosthetic leg and allow ample room for the prosthesis.

Muscle and tissue was then wrapped over the stump to provide ample padding.

“Once he made the decision that he was going to have an amputation it’s all gone swimmingly well,” says Professor Nanchahal.

“In just over a week he was in a gym doing upper body work, he was on a prosthesis within a couple of weeks and now he’s about four weeks after the procedure and he’s actually walking pretty well.

“Mahran’s been extraordinary because as other Libyans have come to this centre he’s engaged with them and cheered them up.

“A lot of them are pretty unhappy. They’re in a foreign country, they don’t understand the language. These are fit young people who suddenly feel that their lives have been taken away from them.”

Mahran himself appears a little uncomfortable with the attention. But he is keen to stress he has no regrets.

“When I left home and I went to fight I was expecting even to die, so all options were there,” he says. “This is a fate and destiny I received from God, so I’ve accepted this.”

The interview over, he raises his hand to make a “V” sign, then asks to be filmed with the nursing and medical staff who are helping him through his recovery.

Maddie Adams’s life has been transformed by horse-riding with the help of the Riding for the Disabled Association.

Ever since Maddie Adams met Sam, a hairy grey pony, at a nearby stables, she has lived for her Saturday morning riding lessons. Her bedroom is filled with horsey paraphernalia and at the top of her Christmas list is a pair of jodhpurs. In this respect, she is no different from countless other pony-mad 10-year-olds; except that Maddie’s equestrian hero isn’t Zara Phillips or Mary King, but Sophie Christiansen, a rider with cerebral palsy who is a British Paralympic dressage gold medallist.

In the saddle: Maddie Adams (left) joins the riders at the Arrow Riding for the Disabled group at Dartford, Kent Photo: MARTIN POPE

When Maddie was two, she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, but now doctors believe she suffers from a dystonic movement disorder, which has similar symptoms. She finds it difficult to speak, she has limited control over her muscles, and has poor co-ordination and balance. Yet on Saturdays she commands Sam around the arena at the Arrow Riding for the Disabled group in Dartford, Kent, at a walk and – if Sam’s feeling frisky – a trot. A team of qualified helpers walks beside Sam as she rides, but no one hangs on to Maddie – she is determined to ride alone.
“It’s a dangerous sport but she can do it,” says Nikki, her mother. “When she’s on a horse, she looks no different from anyone else.”
Nikki stumbled across the Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) when Maddie was seven, and had begun to realise that she was different from the other children in her class. She attends a mainstream primary school, but finds it difficult to write and can’t dress herself or run around the playground; and back then, she was still struggling to walk.
“Her left hand and arm are completely useless to her, and she has limited use of her right hand,” Nikki explains. “She is prone to falling over and has no way of saving herself. I like to keep hold of her when we’re outside as, if she does fall over, the injury will be that bit worse.”
When Maddie began to ask heartbreaking questions – why am I like this? What have I done? – Nikki decided the time had come to expose her to other disabled children. “She’d been mainstreamed the whole way through, which is great but it does have its down side,” she says. “I looked around for local disabled groups and came across the Arrow Riding Centre. When I told Maddie, she grabbed it with both hands.”
The Arrow is one of 500 establishments across Britain where children and adults with physical or learning disabilities can learn to ride. As with all RDA groups, it’s entirely self-funded, and is run by Val Blake and a team of trained volunteers. Nikki pays £14 for each of Maddie’s private lessons, just 10 per cent of the cost. Each year, the Arrow has to raise more than £100,000 to run the yard, shoe the horses, maintain the buildings and pay veterinary bills.
The 15 horses peering over stable doors, or grazing in paddocks at the Arrow, have been chosen for their placid temperaments. There are Thelwell-type ponies like Sam, cobs and thoroughbreds. “They’re definitely not Dobbins, they just know their job,” says Anita Claridge, Maddie’s instructor. “They learn to be patient; I think they understand that they’ve got someone on top of them who needs to be looked after.”
That said, riding is still a high-risk occupation – even for the able-bodied. The most bomb-proof pony can get startled, or snatch its head down for a mouthful of grass. For a child such as Maddie, with unsteady balance and poor muscle tone, who can’t put her feet into stirrups or sit on a conventional saddle, learning to ride is even more of a challenge.
Still, Maddie doesn’t get scared; even though there have been a couple of hair-raising moments. “I’m really brave. I don’t get nervous on Sam,” she says. This ballsy, “I’ll show ’em” attitude is typical of disabled children, according to Anita. “They’re much more ambitious than the able-bodied; they’ve got a point to prove.”
Nikki isn’t horsey herself but it brings tears to her eyes watching Maddie ride. “It’s wonderful seeing how much straighter she sits when she’s in the saddle,” she says. “Her hips are in the perfect position. That’s the beauty of riding; it’s physiotherapy without realising it.”
Up to 40 per cent of RDA participants start riding after being referred by a physiotherapist or other specialist. Each rider is assessed by an RDA physio before their first lesson to pair them with a suitable horse and ensure they are using the right equipment.
“It’s crucial that a physio works out what is safe and comfortable to do and what exercises their instructor can do to improve their condition,” says Lynn Lawford, a physiotherapist who works with the Dyffryn Ceiriog group at the Clwyd Special Riding Centre near Wrexham. “But it’s amazing how quickly you can start to see results; it can be the difference between sitting in a wheelchair and walking.”
Maddie’s walking has improved dramatically – she moves particularly fluidly in the hours following a lesson. But riding has also helped her in other respects: it has strengthened her core muscles, helping her to balance. And telling Sam to “whoa”, “halt” and that he’s a “good boy” improves her speech.
“Maddie gets a thorough physical and mental workout. If you put her in a hospital room for an hour’s physio, she’d hate it because it’s boring and it hurts. You stick her on a horse and she’s up for it,” says Nikki. Of course, to Maddie, Sam is much more than an exercise bike. He’s now one of her best friends and a glorified pet; she helps to groom him after riding, and is convinced he recognises her when she arrives at the yard.
Just recently, Maddie has made another friend through riding called Libby, who is the same age and has similar disabilities; a few weekends ago, they had a sleepover together in the Adams’ sitting room with movies and popcorn. “They understand what each other is going through and chat about the things that worry and affect them,” says Nikki. “Parents with able-bodied children aren’t necessarily prepared to have a disabled child to stay – which I understand – but now Maddie can do sleepovers, too.”
Armed with a social life and a hobby, Maddie’s confidence has reached new levels; so much so that a few months ago she volunteered for the school talent contest. Her mother was beside herself with worry; particularly when Maddie told her that she was convinced she would win.
“It’s the children who vote and I didn’t want Maddie to get the sympathy vote, or be disappointed,” Nikki says. “But her teacher told me that I must let her enter and then deal with the consequences.”
Maddie stood up on stage and did a simple dance; walking slowly in circles, and moving from one foot to the other. “Bearing in mind when she started at school she couldn’t walk at all, this was pretty amazing,” Nikki says. But what clinched her the first prize in the competition was the song she’d chosen to dance to – Ordinary Girl by Miley Cyrus. “She’s clearly not silly,” Nikki says. “All her classmates recognised that, for Maddie, standing up there like anyone else showed enormous talent.”
Last year Maddie met her heroine Sophie Christiansen, 23, at the Riding for the Disabled AGM and stared in awe at her gold and bronze Paralympic medals. “She hopes to follow in her footsteps,” says Nikki. “My heart is already in my mouth.”
Given Maddie’s determination, Anita doesn’t see any reason why she can’t compete at a high level one day; RDA’s ethos is to find an ability out of a disability, and a couple of children at the Arrow are riding at national level. “If she gets to the Paralympics, I’ll have to go and hide,” Anita says. “There’s no leader or no side-helper.” But this is the type of challenge that children like Maddie thrive on.
Sadly, the waiting list for a place at an RDA Group such as the Arrow is long. Countless more disabled people like Maddie might benefit from learning to ride, but the charity urgently needs funding to train up volunteers and instructors, and pay to keep the horses in top condition.
For Maddie, the best thing about riding is that it puts her on a par with able-bodied girls her age. “When I’m on a horse, I feel alive,” she says. Her family has got used to the fact that after a visit to the Arrow, Maddie spends the rest of the weekend chattering about Sam. “When we were driving to the stables last Saturday she said: ‘Is this really happening, Mum? I keep wondering whether it’s actually a dream?’”

The Riding for the Disabled Association is one of three charities supported by this year’s appeal. To make a donation, go to https://telegraph.paythru.com/

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/telegraphchristmasappeal/

My name is Ellie Hoskins, I am a third year documentary photography student studying at the University of Wales, Newport. For
my final year project I wanted to look into peoples life after injury and in particular their experience with using prosthetic
limbs. I am very interested in creating deeper awareness around people living with prosthetics and the support that they receive.
I have been working on this project for a few months and have created a set of images, however for the project to work I need to
have a range of people. I want to appeal to people would would be willing to be photographed to get in contact with me please.

In return I would be happy to give you full rights to the images. I really want to help to create awareness for the support given
to people living with prosthetics and I believe that with your help I can create a set of images that will help such a worthy cause.
I would be happy to discuss this further if you have any concerns.

I have previously worked with a charity that helps bereaved parents called SANDS and there are some examples of this project
and some of my other work on my website

http://www.elliehoskins.com/

Yours

Ellie Hoskins

Email: ellie_hoskins@hotmail.co.uk

By Steve Wilson
Published on Thursday 24 November 2011 14:00

A Havant couple saw their hopes of international glory dashed, after they fell at the final hurdle in their quest for a coveted title.

Hazel and Ron Quarrington secured their place at the Bader Cup international final in Portugal after coming through two qualifying rounds to book their place at the Alamos Club on the Algarve.

Ron and Hazel Quarrington either side of Portsmouth Lord Mayor Cheryl Buggy

The tournament is an annual competition for couples all over England, Wales and Scotland in aid of the Douglas Bader Foundation named after the World War II veteran who became a single-figure golfer, after losing both legs in a crash.

The Foundation has now raised £350,000 to help people with missing limbs and other disabilities in its 24 years.

After the Havant couple won their own club competition with 43 points in the greensome format, they then came through a regional qualifier with a fine performance, clocking up 37 points to claim their final berth.

But while the Portsmouth Golf Club duo’s total of 32 points was some way behind final winners, Sue Anderson and John Loye from Crondon Park Golf Club with 43 points, Hazel, 52 and Ron, 53, have vowed to make sure they get another crack next year.

Hazel said: ‘It was a good four days and we really enjoyed it.

‘We couldn’t bring the trophy home unfortunately, but maybe next year.

‘It was well worth entering. We will definitely go for it again next year.’

After 23 years of glorious sunshine for the event, this year’s final was a different experience as rain dampened the course.

Hazel, who plays off an eight handicap alongside 17-handicapper Ron, said: ‘It rained on the practice day and then rained for most of the round on the competition day so that made things that bit more difficult.

‘The course was good but the greens were really tricky and we found it quite hard.

‘But it was still enjoyable and it’s a very good cause.’

The 2012 tournament will be extra special as it will be the silver anniversary of the Bader Cup.

It costs just £10 per couple to enter and the more UK clubs that take part, the more money is raised.

See thebadercup.co.uk for an entry form for the 2012 competition.

BY CHARLES BERMAN

Chris Waddell, who earned 13 medals over seven Paralympic games and World Championships in skiing and wheelchair racing after he was paralyzed in 1988, made Northwood a stop on his 10-week Nametags Educational speaking tour.

Paralympian athlete Chris Waddell gave a presentation at Northwood Jr High. He's won medals in both the winter and summer ParaOlympics | Joel Lerner~Sun-Times Media

Waddell spoke about his mission to change the way people perceive those with disabilities, which he challenged by reaching the 19,340-foot summit of Mount Kilimanjaro two years ago.

“It was great for our students to hear firsthand from someone who looks at life in such a positive way after what most people would view as a devastating injury,” Northwood co-principal Monica Schroeder said. “It was really a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our students to hear this presentation and learn about his amazing accomplishments.”

Schroeder added the assembly also helped illustrate the school’s social and emotional learning goals.

“This program really emphasized how we should act with integrity and treat everybody with respect and dignity,” she said.

After the Northwood program, Waddell attended a public screening of the award-winning documentary about his climb, One Revolution, at the Wilmette Theatre.

Waddell’s One Revolution Foundation aims to prove how determination can lead to remarkable achievement.

The ongoing Nametags Educational tour shows students that they have the power each day to make decisions about what “Nametags” they wear.

“Nametags is not about disability, it is about resilience and community,” said Donna Volpitta, who helped design Waddell’s program. “Chris has a wonderful ability to bring people together and inspire them to do great things.”

A long distance runner who spent more than two days in freezing winter temperatures without winter gear has had his feet amputated just above the ankles.

Marko Cheseto, 28, is one of several Kenyan runners who competed for the University of Alaska Anchorage in cross-country and track. The amputations were reported on Monday on the UAA Athletic Department website.

Cheseto was seen at about 7pm in a UAA building on Nov 6, a Sunday night, as two snow storms started to blanket the city. His room-mates reported him missing the next morning. The disappearance prompted a citywide search.

Cheseto was found early the following Wednesday outside a hotel near the campus. He was wearing athletic shoes, a jacket and blue jeans but no hat or gloves. He was suffering from hypothermia and severe frostbite on his feet and hands.

Missing poster for Marko Cheseto posted at the University of Alaska Anchorage in Anchorage, Alaska. Photo: AP

I am not sure if Tanni Grey-Thompson has ever met Sepp Blatter – or  even desires to do so – but I would like to be the proverbial fly on the wall should they ever have a conversation which embraces the FIFA poobah’s growing list of apparent prejudices.

Slippery Sepp – hard to say whether he or the Houdini of Twickenham, Rob Andrew, has the thicker coating of Teflon – is not unfamiliar with isms.

His current misadventure with racism was famously preceded by a chauvinistic flirtation with sexism when he suggested that women’s football would be more aesthetically appealing if players wore kit that revealed rather more flesh (“tighter shorts and low cut shirts”). As befits a bloke who once rejoiced in the role of President of the Society for the Preservation of the Suspender.

Then there was the infamous flippancy towards homosexuality, banned in Qatar where the World Cup is heading in 2022. Just refrain from participating while you are there, was his sage advice to any gay football followers.

So far Blatter, whose gaffes make even Prince Philip seem politically correct, hasn’t enlightened us with any views on disability, but doubtless he is quite capable of plonking his well-shod foot in it should the subject ever arise.

Which is why I hope the newly-ennobled Baroness Grey-Thompson is around if and when it does. No one is better qualified to insert the flea into his shell-like.

The peerless Paralympian has always been one of our most courageous sports personalities, both in her endeavours and achievements in sport but also in forthrightly expressing her opinions.  Elevation to the House of Lords has given those views even greater gravitas.

This was admirably demonstrated at an illuminating Sports Journalists Association Ladbrokes lunch last week where, in times when prejudice is high on the sporting agenda, she revealed concerns about what she perceives as a growing and disturbing antipathy towards the disabled. “There has been a massive increase in hate crimes towards disabled people,” she said.

“There seems to be a feeling that many are just work-shy welfare scroungers, happy to live on benefits, which is quite wrong. They are an easy target in this economic climate.”

Her hope is that next year’s Paralympics will change people’s perceptions “because they will show what disabled people can achieve. Ninety per cent of those athletes taking part won’t even know about disability benefits because they’ve been too busy making something of their lives.”

And it is not just for that reason that Tanni has high hopes that the 2012 Paralympic Games will be an unprecedented success. “Every four years the event gets better and better. I used to think it was my job to speak up for the Paralympics but it just isn’t necessary any more.

“These days the public get it, as we have seen from the huge demand in tickets. (Ironically she didn’t get anything herself in the first ballot).

Here, too, is one influential member of the sporting elite who unequivocally backs Lord Moynihan’s fight to preserve the British Olympic Association life ban on druggies.

Tanni, who led a UK Sport anti-doping review, says: “If anyone serves a doping ban they should not be allowed to compete in the Olympics. It is something we must stand firm on.

“It would be a backwards step to weaken our stance. Dwain [Chambers] is a really lovely young man but what really troubles me is that when he was given the opportunity to take the direction he did, why did nobody stop him?”

“You can say it’s not fair, but sport itself isn’t always fair. It’s not fair when you are clean and have to compete against athletes who may not be. There was a view for a while that disabled athletes didn’t cheat, but regrettably some do, and have been caught, though I can say hand on heart I have never competed against anyone who I thought was at it.

“We have to ask ourselves what we want our sport to be. We want it to be exciting and interesting but we also want it to be clean. I am not saying this is a fight we can totally win because there will always be those who do every single thing they can to take that extra step.”

History has shown that famous former competitors do not always make a successful transition from sports politics to real politics, but I have always felt Tanni was one was one who would.

Now the First Lady of Paralympic sports has become the second lady of sport to sit in the House of Lords, following UK Sport chair Sue (now Baroness) Campbell, who like her, is known to have Labour leanings but sits as a cross-bencher.

“I know Sue quite well and I’m learning a lot from her,” Tanni tells me. “I found it hard when I was asked to define my political views because I am a bit right of centre on some things and a long way left on others.”

So the ermine cloak has been wrapped around her as a People’s Peer, despite being an ardent Labour supporter all her life. “It wasn’t an easy decision,” she admits “My political views may be mainly left of centre but I think there are a lot of advantages of being a cross-bencher because you can vote with your heart. In any case, I believe sport should be non-political.

“To be honest, as a cross-bencher I’m not sure what I am allowed to do politically. I am still on a learning curve.

“My passions are sport, women in sport and disabled people, and they kind of end up not being political, so I can put a bit of a different spin on things. I have not gone in there to start speaking on matters of which I have no previous experience, but I am an ex-athlete, I am a mum and I have a disability so all that combines to give a different perspective.

“Health is one debate that immediately jumps out. And not just regarding the many problems regarding disability (she has been in a wheelchair since she was seven, having been born with spina bifida). Change also needs to be instigated in issues ranging from assisted suicide to care in the home and the legacy of London 2012.

“It was a deep desire to help make positive changes that first drove me into politics as a student (she has a degree in political sciences from Loughborough University) and this still burns as bright as ever. I’ve had many challenges in life and sport but going into the House of Lords is probably the biggest.

“But even now I start to giggle when I hear someone call me Baroness Grey-Thompson.”

Born 41 years ago in Cardiff, Tanni has won an unparalleled 11 Paralympic golds, set 30 world records and won six London Marathons.

Baroness Grey-Thompson with her extraordinary collection of medals

Since retiring from competitive sport four years ago she says she is busier than ever. “I am fortunate that I have found so many things to do in life to replace athletics. Nothing can ever be the same after you have competed at such a high level but all this gives me a great buzz – something that is meaningful and, I hope, productive. Life’s chaotic these days, but then it always was.”

She says it is fortunate that her husband, Ian, is able to work from the family home in a village just outside Darlington and is in a position to look after their nine-year-old daughter Carys. A doctor of chemistry, he now works in sports science and coaching. “He knew that I was going to have to spend a lot of time in London so it is good that this has worked out really well. He loves coaching and I like what I do. It was a really good point for both of us to think about what we wanted to do with our futures.”

Ever combative, she has long been highly critical of the way sport is administered. Has lording it with the political aristocracy mellowed her? “I doubt it,” she says. “I still get frustrated at the hierarchical order of British sport, the school of ‘We’ll do it this way because we’ve always done it this way’. They could do so much more, not with money but with attitude. Sport needs people at the top who really understand what it is about.”

****************************************************

SCHOOLGIRL Jessica Rogers is determined to swim in the Paralympics – despite being approximately 2ft tall.

The determined 14-year-old was born with a rare condition that left her with no lower spine and meant her legs had to be amputated.
Now Jessica dreams of gaining a place on the US team so she can compete in London next year.

Jessica Rogers with her swimming coach, Andy Ciprano. Photo: Laurentiu Garofeanu / Barcroft USA

The schoolgirl, who trains five times a week, has already won a silver medal for 100 metres breast stroke at the Parapan American Games in Mexico last week.
If she succeeds at America’s Paralympic Trials in North Dakota in June she will qualify for the US National Team in London next year.
Jessica, from Washington DC, said: “I don’t think I’m special — I was born like this and just get on with life. Everyone is different in their own way.”
On her quest to make the Paralympics through a gruelling training regime, 3st Jessica now rises at 3.30am to practice before school.
She said: “When I’m swimming, I feel free. At first, it was about fun, but now I want to win medals.

Jessica Rogers competing. Photo: Laurentiu Garofeanu / Barcroft USA

“I hope to have a family later in life — babies of my own or adopted children.
“But for now, I’ll be the happiest girl in the world if I get a place at the London Games. It’s my dream.”
Jessica’s proud mother Phyllis Rogers, 55, adopted Brazilian-born Jessica when she was just 14 months old.
Jessica had been born with caudal regression syndrome where the lowest part of the spine does not form fully.
Because of her condition, Jessica’s spine stops halfway down her back.
Phyllis said: “At that age she was still wearing newborn baby clothes and used her elbows to crawl.
“As she got stronger she started walking on her hands.
“She used to amaze me all the time — she’d lift herself on the sofa and I’d think: ‘How did she do that?’
“Jessica’s incredibly determined. But she sees herself as the same as everyone else.”
Her organs — including her lungs — are small, making her swimming skills even more impressive.
Brave Jessica had major surgery to amputate both her legs below the knee when she was just three because they were stuck in a cross-legged position.
She spent six months recovering before amazingly learning to swim.

Jessica Rogers on her bike. Photo: Laurentiu Garofeanu / Barcroft USA

The caring teen also runs the not-for-profit Caudal Regression Syndrome Association through her website.

Algarve Property & Golf Magazine

Bader Cup has raised £350,000 in 24 years

Sir Douglas Bader, the British World War II flying ace who lost both his legs but went on to play single figure handicap golf, would be 101 if he were alive today.  And if he were alive today he would be very proud, because in the 24 years of the Bader Cup tournament, the Douglas Bader Foundation has raised £350,000 to help people with missing limbs and other disabilities.

The Bader Cup is held every year with clubs from all over England, Wales and Scotland taking part.  The winners then compete in twelve regional finals with the finalists enjoying an all-expenses-paid trip to the Algarve in November.  The generous sponsors are Monarch Airlines, the Tivoli Lagos Hotel and Morgado do Reguengo Golf.

The Bader Cup 2011 Winners: Sue Anderson & John Loye from Crondon Park Golf Club

The 2011 final  was won by Sue Anderson and John Loye from Crondon Park Golf Club, who achieved 43 Stableford points in the Greensomes Grand Final on Morgado’s Alamos golf course on November 9, both playing off a handicap of 15.

“We only came fourth in the first round but managed to ‘nobble’ the couples in first, second and third place in order to play in the regional final”, joked Sue.  In one pairing, the wife had to have an operation, another contender got injured playing tennis and a third had a clashing engagement.

The 2012 tournament will be special as it will be the Silver Anniversary of the Bader Cup.  The Bader Cup costs just £10 per couple to enter and the more UK clubs that take part, the more money is raised.  If your UK Golf Club is not aware of the Bader Cup, why not give details to your Club Captain or Secretary?

See  www.thebadercup.co.uk for an entry form for the 2012 competition. We will have one on the Douglas Bader Foundation Website shortly.

* Please click on the link to go to The Bader Cup 2011 Final Page, where you will be able to see a full report, photographs and download the results of the Tournament *

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This is a fantastic achievement and The Douglas Bader Foundation is deeply grateful to all who have taken part in, been involved with, organised and sponsored the Bader Cup over the years.

A full response will be found on the Final Page.

A DISABLED rider who trains out of stables in Papplewick has become a world and European equestrian champion — after overcoming an allergy to horses!

Dressage girl Sophie Wells

Sophie Wells (21), who rides from the Angela Weiss Stables on Mansfield Road, now has her sights set on the Paralympic Games.

In September, she competed in the para-equestrian dressage category at the European Championships in Belgium and came home with a hat-trick of gold medals.

Now she is excitedly preparing for the Paralympics, which will run alongside the Olympic Games in London next year.

Sophie (pictured), who lives in Newark, is expected to be a certainty for selection for the Great Britain team. Officially, the team won’t be announced until the New Year but she has already qualified.

Her achievements are a far cry from when she was just six and first took up horse-riding.

Firstly, she had to overcome the fact that she was born with amniotic band syndrome, which is a condition caused in the womb and results in problems with a child’s fingers and toes because of restricted blood flow.

Sophie lost some of her fingers but surgeons were able to save her feet, which has enabled her to launch her sparkling riding career.

The next hurdle to jump as a youngster was contending with sneezing and watering eyes whenever she was on a horse.

But Sophie has remained determined. In a recent interview, she said: “My legs have deteriorated as I’ve grown up. It is a little frustrating but it makes me appreciate the good days.

“I can still ride, which is amazing.”

From the age of 13, Sophie has had a long-term ambition to be part of London 2012.

She competes in grade IV of para-equestrian dressage, which is for the least-disabled riders.

By Stuart Bathgate
Published on Tuesday 15 November 2011 00:00

Blind sprinter is determined to win gold

Libby Clegg, pictured winning the T12/T44 100 metres at Crystal Palace last year with her guide by her side, was born with normal sight but is now registered blind. Picture: AFP

SPRINTERS do not tend to reach their peak until their late 20s, but at 21, Libby Clegg is already a world champion and among the favourites to win 100 metres gold in London next summer. If she keeps running for the rest of the decade, there could be no stopping her.

Not that she is thinking so far ahead at present. Right now, as she undergoes winter training at Loughborough University, Clegg is concentrating only on the Paralympics. A silver medallist four years ago, she is determined to go one better next year.

“My personal best just now is 12.51 seconds,” she said. “I definitely will be beating that next year. I have to up my game with the Paralympics just around the corner.”

Born in Macclesfield, Clegg moved with her family to Newcastleton in the Borders and then on to Edinburgh, the place she still regards as home and where she attended the Royal Blind School. She has Stargardt’s Macular Dystrophy, a degenerative eye condition. Born with normal sight, she now has only slight peripheral vision in her left eye and is registered blind.

Competitors in Clegg’s T12 class can opt to run with a guide. She began at international level partnering the former British international, Lincoln Asquith, but now works with his stepson, Mikal Huggins.

“Mikal is 27, which is a bit younger than Lincoln, who had become a little bit injury-prone,” said Clegg. “It’s quite nice to have a guide with a different personality: Mikal is really laid back, whereas Lincoln is a bit more mature.

“You have to really get on with your guide, because they put so much time into working with you and travelling with you to major events. There’s a lot of pressure on a guide, particularly when it comes to making sure they don’t cross the line first, because you get disqualified if they do. It’s not as easy as it looks.

“I’m doing two sessions a week with Mikal at the moment because I’m on my winter training schedule. I also do a lot of work with another young athlete, Jenni Taker, who is able-bodied, and I still do a lot of running on my own too. I can do that on the track okay.”

Running Blind, a documentary about Clegg on BBC2 Scotland tonight, gives a glimpse of her life at Loughborough. It’s a demanding schedule, with very little time for relaxation, but she would not have it any other way.

“Because of athletics, I’m not really like any other 21-year-old. I don’t go out and get drunk.

“My sister doesn’t understand why I do it, because she likes going out, but it’s the sense of achievement, really. It gives you such a buzz. I feel really free when I run.

“I used to get my dad to time me when I ran round the block. That was when I was about nine, then both my brothers got into sport. My sister doesn’t like sport at all, though. In fact she doesn’t even like walking.

“I can remember when I could actually see, and when my sight started to go. That was when I was about nine as well. No-one in our family had ever had it, but unfortunately both my parents carried the gene.

“They were told there was supposed to be a one in four chance of a child of theirs having the condition, but in our case there’s three out of four of us who have it – just Felicity who hasn’t. It’s just bad luck, really.”

Felicity is also the only one of the four who has not been actively involved in sport. James is in the top 20 freestyle swimmers in the world, while Stephen has also been a keen swimmer. Together, Libby and James are helping publicise the Nominate A Paralympic Torchbearer programme, promoted by the Bank of Scotland. She has nominated Bob Moxley, who coached her in Scotland, while James has nominated Libby herself.

“She’s my elder sister and she’s my inspiration, because she’s got further in sport than I have,” he said. Come next summer, however, James hopes he will have caught up, at least as far as getting into the British team for the Paralympics goes.

“I don’t want to say I’ll definitely be at the Olympics, because some people think I might not make it,” said James.

“But I’m going to go for it. Let’s say I’d be disappointed if I didn’t make it.”

Although he was inspired by his elder sister into believing he could be a successful sportsman, James never thought of following her into athletics. “I was 12 when I started swimming at a disability club,” he added. “It’s the only sport I’ve tried, really. I used to watch skateboarding, but a blind skateboarder wouldn’t really work.”

A blind runner and a blind swimmer, on the other hand, are working rather well right now.

• Shine a light on someone who has made a difference in the disability community by nominating them to carry the Paralympic Flame with Bank of Scotland. To find out more or make a nomination visit www.bankofscotland.co.uk/paralympicflame by 22 November 2011.

PARALYMPICS: Disabled schoolchildren in and around the Borders have been enjoying recent Paralympic festivals, having been given the opportunity to try out a variety of different sports.

Two events for children with learning, sensory and physical disabilities have already taken place – at Queens Leisure Centre in Gala and the Gytes in Peebles – and two more are organised for 25 November at Jedburgh Grammar School and on 30 November at Berwick Academy.

The sports involved in the festivals are athletics, football, curling and boccia.

Boccia has been a particular favourite in Gala and Peebles. The aim of boccia is to propel balls so they finish as close as possible to a special white target ball, known as the ‘jack’. Each player, pair or team gets six balls on each end.

For athletics and football, specialist coaches have come in to help, while senior pupils from eight of the area’s secondary schools are acting as young ambassadors and help teach curling and boccia.

With the Paralympics taking place in London next year alongside the Olympics, Borders assistant active schools manager Graeme Murdoch feels that now is the ideal time to resurrect sport for disabled children in the area.

He said: “Over the years in the Borders there have always been a number of events for disabled children to play sport, but for whatever reason these have not been so regular of late.

“With the Paralympics in everyone’s thoughts currently, we set about working with the local primary and secondary schools to set up these four festivals and we are pleased with the way the first two have been received.

“It really depends on the catchment area and the disabilities of the kids who turn up as to what activities take place, but they do get to try out a number of things and often there are specialist coaches there along with teachers to make sure that every child gets maximum enjoyment out of it.

“The numbers have been good with over 30 children involved at both and we would expect similar numbers at the upcoming two festivals too. I think sometimes it is difficult for disabled children and their teachers and parents to get information on how to get involved in sport, but by working together with these groups we hope to make it easier.”

Key to that last point for Murdoch is that the youngsters are given links to local clubs if they want to take things further and develop in a particular sport. Also, if the specialist coaches see potential in a child then they can advise on this link-up too. “As with able-bodied children, there is no point in giving the child a taster session in a sport, they decide they love it, but then there is nowhere for them to go to practice it.

“Already in the Borders we have seen a disabled section of the Gala Harriers athletics club being set up and maybe in the long run this will happen at other sporting clubs in the area if the demand is high enough.”

Encouraging signs are being shown in the Borders with the staging of these events reoccurring in March and then a area-wide showcase event being held outdoors on 15 June. At that event there will be other, as yet to be decided, sports to try too.

From: sport.scotsman.com

The Ruby Hunt Centre in Donington and the Big Bloomers group in Sutton Bridge shared almost £300 from a cash pot set up to fund projects inspired by next year’s Olympic and Paralympic games in London.
The Ruby Hunt has been given £125 for transport and catering to run an Olympic themed sports and activities day in the Spring. Big Bloomers has been given £150 to plant a 2012 themed display at Sutton Bridge Memorial Park.
The money comes from Silver Spirit, a Lincolnshire Sports Partnership project which awards grants of up to £300 to community groups and organisations whose members are mostly over 50, and want to run projects in the lead up to the games.
County councillor Sue Woolley said: “The London 2012 Games is an excellent opportunity to inspire more people to get out and get active.
“Staying active is essential to maintaining health and fitness, particularly for the over 50s. That’s why I’m delighted this money has been made available to help older members of our communities celebrate next year’s games in a fit and fun way.”
The University of the Third Age in Bourne also received £120 for a swimming gala and more than £5,000 has been awarded to 27 projects in Lincolnshire since June, but £10,000 is still available.
Groups can apply for one off activities or long term projects. The next deadline for applications is January 31, and all the money must be spent by September 2012.
An application form is available from www.lincolnshiresports.com or by calling 01522 585580.
nThis comes after we announced the Olympic Torch will be come to Holbeach, Long Sutton, Moulton, Spalding and Whaplode in Tuesday’s Lincolnshire Free Press.
That news was welcomed by strongman Geoff Capes, who was born in Holbeach and competed in the Games in 1972, 1976 and 1980.
He said: “It is a great coup for the area to be part of the Olympic movement and it is fantastic to see the flame coming through the district. It is full of talented athletes who have made a great contribution to the sporting history of the area.”
Veteran television commentator Stuart Storey, who grew up in Holbeach, competed in the 1968 Mexico Olympic Games and who will be commentating for Olympic Broadcasting Services next year said: “This will really be quite something for the area. It will be a great honour for Holbeach and the district.”
Holbeach Paralympic gold medal winner Sally Reddin said: “This will be really good for the town. It’s not very often you will get the chance to see the Olympic Flame coming so close to where you live.”
The torch relay starts at Land’s End on May 19, with street-by-street details to be released nearer the time.

WARMINSTER teenager Jack Wiskin was the toast of Twickenham last week after being honoured for his sporting achievements in 2011 at the Aviva School Sport Matters Awards.

Jack Wiskin (centre), with Paralympian Danny Crates (left) and British disability shot putter Danny Nobbs, right, at Twickenham

The 16-year-old Larkrise School pupil was highly commended in the Excellence in Disabled Sport category and received his award from Paralympic gold medallist Danny Crates at a star-studded ceremony at the home of English rugby.

A host of Olympic and Paralympic legends past and present – including James Cracknell, Tim Brabants, Gail Emms, Duncan Goodhew, David Weir, Sally Gunnell and Iwan Thomas – rubbed shoulders with the youngster.

Since it was set up in 2004 Aviva and the Daily Telegraph have worked together to showcase and celebrate the successes and developments in school sport.

Wiskin, who is a blind runner, fell firmly into that category after a string of astonishing performances.

He won two gold medals at this year’s National Disability Athletics Championships, having only just recovered from a life-saving operation in which he lost 80 per cent of his sight.

“I am really happy to have won an award and I had such a great day at Twickenham,” said Wiskin. “I met lots of famous people and it was a great day. Athletics is my sport and I got into it through school and hopefully I can get to the 2016 Paralympics and go as far as I can in the sport.”

Wiskin’s PE teacher at Larkrise Rachel Bown, who joined him at the ceremony, said: “I have watched Jack’s progress for the last four years.

“He came to Larkrise as a Year Eight boy unable to swim and lacking confidence in PE. Now he can swim and is a fantastic ambassador for sport at Larkrise School.’’ Crates, who won 800m gold at the Athens Olympics in 2004, paid tribute to Wiskin and the others shortlisted for the award.

“With London 2012 coming up, now is the time for Paralympic sports to really shine and what these guys have done is just so inspiring,” said Crates. “School sport in particular is a crucial part of ensuring that we leave a sporting legacy in place and awards like these go a long way to encouraging more people to take part.”

The Aviva and Daily Telegraph School Sport Matters Awards recognise outstanding achievements in school sport across the country, and are part of Aviva’s wider commitment to support the next generation of British sporting talent. For more information go to aviva.co.uk/athletics

SUPERMARKET SWEEP... swimmer Matthew Wylie receives his sponsorship cash and a certificate from the Asda's Mavis Maughan and bakery manager Gary Cave.

Matthew Wylie, 15, is hoping to compete in next year’s London Paralympics.

The teenager, who has cerebral palsy, has been selected to be part of Asda’s Sporting Chance programme – and is now its Athlete of the Year.

The retail giant is helping athletes across the country realise their sporting ambitions through sponsorship, fundraising raffles and other events.

Since Matthew was ‘adopted’ by staff at Asda in Coronation Street, he has raised more than £1,000 towards the cost of his training.

He was presented with another £300 recently after winning his ‘Athlete of the Year’ honour.

That helps pay for the energy drinks he needs and for the swimming trunks he wears – at a whopping £200 a time.

The South Shields store’s community colleague, Mavis Maughan, said: “The store’s staff have taken Matthew to their heart.

“We wanted to recognise the athlete who has gone the extra mile to build a strong relationship with their local Asda store and the local community.

“We are absolutely thrilled Matthew has won Athlete of the Year.

“We’ve worked so hard with him throughout the months, and fundraised an additional £1,000 to help pay for his training and equipment.

“Matthew’s such a familiar face at the store and we’re so proud of him.

“All the customers love to see him and find out how he is getting on.”

She added: “He lives in Washington, but his grandparents live in South Shields, and we regard him as one of our own.

“The cost of his training is very expensive – that’s why he needs all the support he can get.

“He’s going for trials in Sheffield and the cost of accommodation is going up because of the Olympics.”

To help supporters keep track of his achievements, Matthew has a blog at http://athletes.asda.com/matthewwylie

Matthew’s recent personal best times have been outstanding, and he will be attending trials for the Paralympics in March.

BEACONSFIELD goalball ace Anna Sharkey admits Britain’s participation at next year’s Paralympics is out of the team’s hands.

Sharkey and her British teammates were desperate for a good performance at the recent European Championships to support their bid for a host nation place at next year’s Games.
But ninth out of ten did little to aid their Paralympic credentials and they now face an anxious wait while the British Paralympic Association and UK Sport decide whether or not to give the GB goalball squad the green light.
The 24-year-old said: “It’s down to the powers that be now, the BPA and UK Sport. It wasn’t our best performance at the Europeans so our place is being reviewed.”
But while Sharkey understands the reservations, she insists there were valid reasons behind GB’s poor showing in Denmark.
She said: “They would like a good representation and not to be embarrassed by our performance, but we’ve had a lot of disruption recently and we need consistency building up to these big tournaments.
“We’ve had a change of staff, injuries and a number of new players coming in over the last year. It’s been a bit of a boiling pot.
“For me personally, I sprained my hand about seven weeks ago which affected my own preparations.
“But we are not far away. There’s so much excitement going into these tournaments, but we’ve not been good enough defensively and it’s down to the preparation really.”
Sharkey and co have shown that they can compete with the best nations in the world – winning European gold in 2009.
The team now has one last chance to impress at the official London 2012 test event in December.
Sharkey said: “We won gold at the Europeans last time and that build up was fantastic, but when you do badly you take it to heart. You’ve still invested a lot of time and effort, but sometimes circumstances just conspire against you.
“We have to put these other things out of our minds. In a perverse sort of way it is focussing our minds and pushes you on so much more because everyone wants to make it to London 2012.
“I’ve been playing goalball for ten years, invested a lot of work and to be part of it in your home country is a once in a lifetime experience.”

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Lloyds TSB is a Proud Partner of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and Official Supporter of Team GB and ParalympicsGB. Follow the future stars of Team GB and ParalympicsGB at: www.facebook.com/lloydstsblocalheroes

The University of the Third Age (U3A) has been awarded £120 to run an Olympic Swimming Gala after receiving £120 to hire a swimming pool for the event to be held in April 2012.

The gala will culminate in an East Midlands swimming final in September 2012.
The event is part of a range of activities organised by the U3A taking place across the region next year.
The money has been funded through a Lincolnshire Sports Partnership project called Silver Spirit, which awards grants of up to £300 to community groups and organisations where members are mostly aged over 50 years, and which want to run Olympic and Paralympic inspired projects in the run up to the 2012 Games.
Sarah Ferneyhough, physical activity manager at Lincolnshire Sports Partnership, said: “Silver Spirit provides a great opportunity for the older generation to get actively involved with the 2012 Games and run events and projects inspired by the Olympics or Paralympics.
“We were delighted to offer funding to the U3A in Lincolnshire and three branches of the organisation have been offered funding to develop the Swimming Gala next year.”
Over £5,000 has already been awarded to 27 projects throughout Lincolnshire, but £10,000 is still available.
Groups can apply for funding for one-off activities, or ask for support to pay for a series of sessions or longer term project that could last all year.
The next deadline for applications is January 31.
Application forms are available online at www.lincolnshiresports.com, or by calling Sarah Ferneyhough on 01522 585 580.

The flame will pass through Glynn, Larne town, Drains Bay, Ballygally, Glenarm and Carnlough on Sunday, June 3 and the Games organisers are encouraging local people to plan ahead to become involved in the UK-wide event.
After Olympic gold medallist Lord Coe confirmed Larne’s inclusion in the 8,000-mile relay route around the UK, mayor Cllr Bobby McKee said the borough was “thrilled” to be part of it.
“Residents and visitors alike will have a chance to share in the Olympic spirit and the countdown to the start of the Games,” he said.
“It will also be a chance to support those local people lucky enough to have been chosen to run with the Olympic Flame. I would like to issue an invitation to all of those within the borough to come along and be part of this historic occasion for the borough and its people,” Cllr McKee added.
Sebastian Coe, who chairs the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG), said: “We are thrilled to confirm that Larne will act as host location for the Olympic Flame, extending an invitation to people in Larne Borough to welcome the Olympic Torch Relay during its journey around the UK.
“This is the UK’s moment to shine and I want to encourage people across the Borough of Larne to start planning how they can be part of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and show their support for the inspirational Torchbearers chosen to carry the Olympic Flame as we count down to the start of the Olympic Games.”
The Olympic Flame will pass through more than 1,000 villages, towns and cities, carried by Torchbearers chosen for their inspirational achievements and contributions to their communities. The 70-day relay will start at Land’s End, Cornwall, on May 19 and conclude at the Olympic Stadium when it will be used to light the cauldron signifying the opening of the Games on July 27.
LOCOG has also launched two new public participation programmes. The Local Leaders initiative is an invitation to people to take the 2012 Games into their community and create their own celebrations next year, for the Olympic Torch Relay and other key moments during the Olympic and Paralympic Games. People are encouraged to sign up to the Local Leader programme at www.london2012.com/localleaders to receive further information on a range of themed celebration ideas focusing on the opening ceremony evening, gardening, quizzes and barbecues and be in the front row to receive free London 2012 event materials to support events.
Also launched is a Get Set for the Olympic Torch Relay education resource, available to all schools registered with Get Set, London 2012’s official education programme. The aim of the resource is to provide schools with cross-curricular resources aimed at teachers working with 3 to 16 year olds to aid learning around history of Olympic Torch Relays, the design of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay and the Torch itself.
A further education resource will launch next year to encourage schools to plan a welcome for the Olympic Flame and show support for the Torchbearers.

JOSIE Pearson is making a track-and-field bid for a Great Britain place at next year’s Paralympics in London.

A new discipline for Josie Pearson

The 25-year-old has taken up the discus and thrown just 12 centimetres short of a world record.
“I started to do some throwing at the beginning of the summer and threw just 12 centimetres shy of the world record,” said Josie, who is also a wheelchair racer.
“My discus throwing has been going exceptionally well and it makes the run-up to London even more exciting,” she said.
“In my last event of the season, I threw six metres – which is just short of the F51 women’s world record.”
Josie, from Cusop, has already appeared at one Paralympics.
She became the first woman to represent Britain in Wheelchair rugby at a Paralympic Games when she appeared at Beijing in 2008.
Last year, Josie swapped her rugby shirt for a racing wheelchair.
She competed for Great Britain at January’s 2011 IPC Athletics World Championships in New Zealand.
The athlete had an eye-opening experience in New Zealand – she was disqualified in both the 200m and 400m finals for racing outside her lane.
She was fifth in her first outing in the 100m and fifth in her first ever T52 800m race.
“You learn from your experiences and, as an athlete, there are always things you can improve on – technique, in the gym or diet,” said Josie.
“Going to the World Championships was a valuable learning experience for London.
“You can learn so much from the top athletes and you see how they push to get where they are.”
The Herefordshire athlete has already achieved qualification times in both the 100 metres and 200 metres for next year’s Paralympics.
And she has thrown the qualifcation distance in the discus. But she won’t hear if she’s been selected for the GB squad until next year.
Josie took up the discus after being approached by Anthony Hughes, a well-known throws coach at Sofia Gardens in Cardiff.
She also takes part in the club, a throwing discipline specially designed for disabled athletes.
“I decided to give the throwing a go and it’s now about getting the time to do both disciplines,”
she said.
“The throwing is very technical to do so it needs a lot of work to get it right.
“I enjoy the racing and the throwing – I think you have to otherwise you won’t put everything into it.”
Josie does most of her training in Hereford – with her strength and conditioning work at thePoint4.
“I will be spending the winter doing more strength and conditioning training, more cardio- vascular stuff and working on the technical side of things.
“I am really excited about next year but the most important thing is to remain injury-free.”

Evan Ruggiero

Two years after his diagnosis and a year after his amputation, Ruggiero is in remission, cancer-free and ready to share his story. “I initially made the video for myself. The night it was made I took about 10 videos of myself tapping to track my progress. I came back to my apartment and showed my roommate and she said, ‘This is going on YouTube right now!’” Within 12 hours,  Ruggiero had started receiving messages from fans all over the world. Yesterday, musical theater producer Jason Robert Brown even sent him a message on Twitter: “@EvanRuggiero Kick ass, dude!”
Ruggiero says his friends and roommates at MSU supported him through the terrible diagnosis. “I remember my roommates taking care of me a week before the biopsy, making sure my leg was always propped up. When the diagnosis came back as cancer I immediately withdrew from my classes, being I was in for a lot of treatment. The initial reaction of students, from what I heard of, was shock. Some of them cried, some of them didn’t know what to say, but all of them stood by my side and supported me.”
Throughout his treatment, Ruggiero continued to aspire to a theater career. “I did have the same dream of one day becoming a Broadway actor, but as my diagnosis became more and more life- threatening, and my leg having to be amputated and then starting chemotherapy, I thought ‘How could this happen? Why do I need to be going through this?’”
The Old Bridge native spent his 20th birthday in the hospital receiving 12 hours of chemotherapy.
When Ruggiero found out that he would have his leg amputated, he began to research dancers with disabilities, and discovered Clayton “Peg Leg” Bates, an African American tap dancer who lost a leg in a cotton mill accident at the age of 12, performed 58 times on the Ed Sullivan Show and died in 1998. “When I knew that my leg would have to be amputated,” says Ruggiero, “I knew I would recreate and pass on this skill.”
Although Ruggiero says it’s not easy to tap dance with one leg, he continues to re-teach himself the all the basic steps in order to continue tapping. He will also be starring in Montclair State University’s production of “Rags,” which will run Dec. 7-14 at the L. Howard Fox Studio Theater.

* Please click HERE to see the You Tube Video *

A FORMER professional footballer from Milton Keynes is in with a chance of making a Great Britain Paralympics football team for London 2012 – five years after suffering extensive head injuries in an horrific car crash that killed one of his friends.

Alistair Patrick-Heselton

And he’s doing it without being able to head a football – because it could kill him.

Alistair Patrick-Heselton was 23 years-old when he was catapulted out of the windscreen of a car driven by Wingate & Finchley FC team-mate Simon Patterson as it smashed into barriers on the A40 in London in the early hours of September 10, 2006.

Patterson died at the scene – a week after turning 24 – while Heselton was thrown from the car and landed on his head in the road, fracturing his skull and leaving him in a coma. Another passenger in the car was also badly injured.

Doctors thought Heselton would suffer severe brain damage and would probably never play football again.

However, he left hospital just a few weeks after the crash, and is now on the path to representing his country at the Paralympics with the GB Cerebral Palsy Football Team.

He’s now doing so having gone more than four years without even kicking a ball, and plays knowing that a serious blow to the head could even kill him.

Heselton began his short football career as a schoolboy at Wycombe Wanderers before going through the ranks at QPR where he was starting to make a name for himself playing in the west London club’s reserve team under boss Iain Dowie.

He then had a brief loan spell at Oldham under the same boss before suffering a cruciate ligament injury, and was released by parent club QPR – then under Ian Holloway – at the end of his contract.

Heselton spent a couple of years playing non-League football for a host of clubs in the south east, including then Conference South side Bishop’s Stortford, before joining Wingate & Finchley in 2006.

However, his time with the north London outfit would be brief as, after a night out, he got in the car with former Watford trainee Patterson, and the crash left him and another passenger seriously injured. Heselton says he remembers nothing of the accident, just waking up in hospital to be told what had happened.

After making what was described by doctors as a miraculous recovery from his injuries, Heselton took their advice and gave up football, instead focusing on starting a business career.

He trained as a quantity surveyor, but eventually followed his passion for cars and bought a franchise with vehicle wrapping company Total Dynamic, based in Newport Pagnell.

Although he completely gave up football, Heselton remained in contact with the Football Association and was told he qualified to play for England’s Cerebral Palsy Football Team.

He tentatively went along for his first training session in early 2010 and quickly became a regular in the seven-a-side team and took part in the 2011 Cerebral Palsy World Cup in the Netherlands, scoring on his debut.

But while that tournament didn’t quite go to plan for England, Heselton rekindled his love affair with the beautiful game and now plays regularly for both his country and local West Midlands team, wearing protective headwear.

“I have to take all the corners because I can’t risk heading the ball,” he explained. “Obviously there is an element of risk, and anyone could elbow me in the head at any time, but I love playing. The doctors told me that I could head the ball 10 times and be fine, but I could also do it once and be in trouble.”

He admits that, having spent so much time away from playing, it was a tough decision to get back out on the field, but one he’s glade he made.

“I soon found I still had a pretty good touch,” he said. “I wouldn’t say I’m the best player in the team because we have some great players, including the golden boot winner in the World Cup. But it’s just great to kick a ball about again.”

Heselton is part of the Great Britain squad preparing for final trials ahead of next year’s Games. Although he isn’t yet confirmed in the 12-man squad, he does stand a very good chance given his professional experience.

Indeed it’s that experience which has even led to criticism of him playing in the team, and he has been restricted to less game time than he would have liked because people have questioned his suitability for the team.

Heselton is in the Cerebral Palsy Class 8 category – the minimal impairment standard class, with 1 the most severely disabled. Only two Class 8 players are allowed in the team – which includes class 5-8 players – at any one time, but Heselton only needs to point to his brain scans as proof that he qualifies to play.

“I have to live with screws in my head but technically I’m the least impaired,” he said. “So there was some controversy about me playing which really upset me.”

“There was great deliberation by the classification doctors due to me kicking well with both feet, and my extensive efforts in my recovery have gone a long way to mask my impairments.”

Now Heselton has his sights set on London 2012, provided he makes the cut from 15 to the final 12, set to be decided next March. And if picked, representing his country in the greatest show on earth would complete an incredible story for the man who puts his life at risk every time he takes to the field.

Heselton now balances a successful business career with representing his country, made possible with the help of the Jaguar Academy of Sport who allow him to focus on both, with the sport’s World Championships in Manchester coming up before the Paralympics.

“It was a difficult decision to get back into football because of the agony my family had to go through and I certainly don’t take anything for granted,” he said.

Simon Munn

As London 2012 creeps closer, Munn is now heading for his sixth Paralympic Games in a team who know him as ‘The Big Man’.
He has a silver and two bronze medals to show for a Paralympic pedigree that stretches back to Barcelona in 1992, a trip he regarded as a holiday after an horrific accident on a railway line left him without his left leg.
“A gold at London would just make the 22 years worthwhile I guess,” said Munn, counting back the years to the day when, a little worse for wear after a few drinks, he took a late-night shortcut home from the pub across some railway lines. “I mean, I have had a fantastic career, it would just be the icing on top of the cake.”
Munn stumbled on that journey home in Milton Keynes and his left foot became trapped in points. No one heard his shouts for help and he lay there waiting for the inevitable.

The disability in our sport is absolutely secondary. We play sport and that’s it.

After a train had severed his leg, Munn, a powerfully built 6ft 5in builder, managed to drag himself to a road where a motorist found him and saved his life as he lost blood at an alarming rate.
He does not mind retelling the tale, but he has been around the scene so long he is “a little bored” of it, pointing out that life with partner Michele, a care-worker, and their two-year-old son Henry at their cliff-top home in Peacehaven, Sussex, is good.
“In basketball, I am classed as a minimal disability even though I am an above-knee amputee,” said Munn, who gets around on two feet most of the time with a prosthetic leg.
“There are people paralysed from the belly-button down and when you see people like that just getting on with their lives it makes you think. In this game, you never see anyone moan; you just see inspirational people.
“The disability in our sport is absolutely secondary. We play sport and that’s it.”
In fact, the disability in wheelchair basketball is almost irrelevant. Perhaps that is why it has become a showcase event for the Paralympics.
“Except for the wheelchair, our basketball is the same as for the able-bodied,” added Munn. “The markings on the court are the same, height of basket is the same, the rules are virtually the same. It’s a fast, aggressive sport and I love it.”
Munn, a footballer before his accident, took up basketball after much nagging by his physio, whose husband was a member of the GB wheelchair team. Still recuperating, Munn was picked for the Barcelona Games at 22.
“I didn’t get picked because I was a fantastic player but because I was big. I guess they wanted me to get the bug because they felt I would be a really good player after a few years. I did all right out there, but I always class Barcelona as more of a holiday because I was so green in the game.”
Now Munn is the talisman of a team who recently won the European Championship for the first time in 16 years and are one of the favourites for London 2012.
Munn, 43, has said London will be a swansong, but is now beginning to doubt that. He said: “My coach says I am still a big part of the team. I still love it you see, and don’t want to retire. If I stay fit, why not carry on?”

KNOW THE SPORT: WHEELCHAIR BASKETBALL

THE GAME: Started by injured World War Two veterans and played in more than  80 countries. It is so popular that able-bodied players take part in domestic events but are not eligible for internationals. Ever-present at the Paralympics since the inaugural Games in Rome 1960, the women’s competition joined eight years later.
OLYMPIC FORMAT: Teams compete in two pools before knockout stages. Players have varying degrees of disability given a rating of 1 to 4.5 (the lower, the greater the disability). During play the five players on court must not have a points total of more than 14. Courts and scoring system is same as basketball. To be played at the North Greenwich Arena (the 02) from August 30 to September 8.
BRIT WATCH: Both men’s and women’s teams are ranked in the world’s top five.

Martine Wright

The conviction in her voice is arresting and a slightly fragile self-assurance makes her story riveting even in the mouth of the dullest teller. “Here” for the cheery 38 year-old is less than a year away from competing for Great Britain in a home Paralympics. Given the six-year period she has had to endure to get to this point, it is an extraordinary place to be.

Should the British Paralympic Association grant their sitting volleyball squad the right to compete at 2012, Wright will have completed a remarkable journey back to London that started on of July 7, 2005, when her world was, quite literally, blown apart.

On that summer morning, she was late for work after staying up late the previous night with friends to celebrate London’s successful Olympic bid. She had to run in order to get a seat on the Circle line train. Tragically, it would be the last time she would use her legs for strenuous exercise as a 22 year-old suicide bomber called Shehzad Tanweer threw London into chaos. Nine days after the explosion, Wright woke up in hospital, a double amputee.

“We were just going along as normal and there was a big, white flash,” she explains, now admirably composed when relating the horror and even willing to characterise the tale with a charmingly cheeky sense of humour. “It was almost like a cartoon, because I felt like I was in Tom and Jerry and someone had hit me on the head with a frying pan!

“After that split second, it was a scene of total devastation. I was conscious the whole way through so I was able to gauge the carnage from the smells and the screams. I remember looking down and seeing all this metal in my legs. Then I looked up and saw my new pair of trainers hanging from the ledge above.

“Luckily, my guardian angel saved me. She was a policewoman called Liz (Elizabeth Kenworthy) and she put a tourniquet around one of my legs. It almost felt like a film and I was never in pain and never thought I was going to die. All I was doing was telling Liz to let my Mum and Dad know that I was OK.”

From such terrifying depths, Wright’s road to recovery was long and arduous. Three years after the blast, the regular hospital trips had finished but the psychological damage was still debilitating. Being shorn of both physical ability and the gainful employment that her position as an international marketing manager for technical news service CNET offered was a sickening double-blow. Then sport, in the shape of the Beijing Paralympics, offered a route to mental recuperation.

“When Beijing was on, I was getting my life back,” she smiles in fond reminiscence. “I was getting married but I knew that alone wouldn’t be enough. Seeing the Paralympics on the television brought some ambition – the ambition I had lost when I wasn’t working – back to me.

“I realised whilst watching the coverage that I wanted to have a go so I went to a Paralympic open day and tried the different sports. Wheelchair tennis attracted me for a while but I wanted to be involved in a team and absolutely fell in love with sitting volleyball. Everything about it – the confidence it gives me, the new dream it instilled me and the feeling that I am doing something I never thought I could do – is fantastic.”

Progress has been rapid for Wright. In 2009, just months after trying out the sport for the first time at a local club, she was contacted and told that a Great Britain side was being put together. A year later, she made her international debut against China at a fixture in Kent. She has been to Okalahoma for the World Championships and, last month, to Rotterdam to challenge for the European crown. A seventh placed finish was not enough to ensure qualification for next year, but very encouraging for a group who have barely been together for eighteen months.

When I catch up with Wright on the eve of the Paralympics GB Simulation Camp in Bath, designed to integrate athletes from all sports and enhance the sense of togetherness across the team as a whole, London is looming large. Understandably, she is very excited about what lies ahead.

“We are good enough to go next year and prove that we are hitting our targets and are able to fill that home nation place. ” Wright explains, briefly adopting the determined tone of a competitor before humbly recoiling when I ask her how she feels to have reached this point.

“I don’t think you can underestimate what sport can give you,” she adds thoughtfully. “I have come a long way mentally, physically and with my skills in the last year. It always feels quite surreal to be classed as an elite athlete and I am just looking forward to using the great facilities and personnel we have to better myself. Last year, I was just absorbing everything.”

Since the incident that altered her so drastically, Wright has sturdily rebuilt her life. Her husband, Nick, and a two year-old son, Oscar, bring her great joy. She has skied, walked and clearly regained the confidence that must have evaporated so unexpectedly. An aura of destiny surrounds next summer, though, and fulfillment is a clear goal.

“There are just too many coincidences,” she continues, grinning. “I truly believe that this was always what I was meant to do in my life and next year will complete a full circle, celebrating my new life and what I can achieve in it. It will be completely cathartic.

“The last thing I was reading on the tube before the bomb went off was about the Olympics, the first international event I went to in America last year and we flew out on July 7. The two places I now train in London face the two hospitals I spent time in during my recovery. It is just a weird feeling. I feel like a miracle saved my life that day but maybe this is the reason why I was saved and sustained those injuries.”

There is the conviction again and, even if Wright weren’t as awe-inspiring as she is personable, I wouldn’t argue with her.

“I am not sure if there is someone up there but I do know that I was sitting where I was sitting that day because of this,” she finishes. “It was always what I was meant to do. Maybe all of us have that path mapped out in front of us but I love doing this so much that I have to draw the conclusion that I am meant to be there next year.”

Team 2012, presented by Visa, is raising funds to support 1,200 British athletes as they prepare for a place at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. For athlete updates and to show your support, visit www.visa.co.uk/goldenspace

Switchback Entertainment’s Mike Douglas and Jeff Thomas, producers of Salomon Freeski TV, are proud to present the short version of their critically acclaimed film, The Freedom Chair.

The Freedom Chair, which just last week won Best Mountain Sports Film at the Banff Mountain Film Festival, documents the trials, tribulations and triumphs of one of the most inspiring skiers on the planet, Josh Dueck.

Josh Dueck

Dueck, the former head coach of the Silver Star Freestyle Club, which helped kick start the careers of TJ Schiller, Justin Dorey, Riley Leboe, Josh Bibby, Joe Schuster and so many others, was paralyzed from the waist down in a skiing accident in 2004. Rather than give up, Dueck stayed positive and motivated, and began sit-skiing the winter after his accident to work towards his goal of competing in the 2010 Paralympics in Vancouver/Whistler, where he won a silver medal in Slalom, along with a gold medal at the 2011 Winter X Games in Mono Skiercross.

Switchback Entertainment tells Dueck’s story the way he wanted it be told, from a chilling recount of the accident that left him unable to walk for the rest of his life, to his inspirational journey to the 2010 Paralympic Games, and a cat-skiing segment that you’ll have to see to believe and will surely leave you with tears in your eyes and a smile on your face. Enjoy.

* Please click HERE to go to a page where you can see the amazing and often hair-raising footage of the inspirational Josh Sit-skiing both competively and, his passion, Free Skiing *

The full-length version of The Freedom Chair can be seen at a film festival near you, or can be downloaded with the latest Salomon Digital Magazine for iPad. We will also make the episode available through iTunes in the following weeks where you can buy or rent the documentary. All proceeds will go to adaptive sports programs.

Be the Best you can Be! was kick started at Galleywood Youth Centre by former Paralympic champion, Danny Crates.

The initiative has been developed to inspire young people to recognise and fulfil their potential and supports the London 2012 Olympic Games’ mission to be an inspiration to the country’s youth.

Danny, who lives in Heybridge, near Maldon, won 800m gold at the 2004 Paralympics.

He spoke to 44 youngsters at the launch about how on all roads to success there will inevitably be setbacks, but said having clear goals can help them achieve their goals.

He said: “It’s about helping young students’ vision, helping them look at their potential and what they want to be in future.

“It’s also about giving them skills and tools to plan that journey and getting the right people around them to achieve their dreams.”

Following the launch, young people at the youth centre, in Watchouse Road, Galleywood, began working on initial modules designed to help them discover the skills they need to raise their self-confidence and self-esteem so they can start their own journey to success.

Michael O’Brien, service manager, said: “I was determined that our service would be one of the early youth services to undertake Be the Best you can Be! as it begins to roll out nationally.

“The inspiration offered by Olympians who strive to achieve their dreams is incredibly powerful and helps to reach out and engage our young people.

“I am delighted Danny Crates was able to attend our launch event and my staff and I look forward to delivering this exciting and transformational programme.”

The programme will conclude with a celebration ceremony where young people will share what they have learnt and receive a recognition medallion.

Rachel Whiteread's design for the London 2012 Posters

* Please click HERE to see a slideshow of the 12 designs *

The London 2012 Olympic Committee unveiled its 12 official Olympic and Paralympic posters, created by the UK’s top contemporary artists.

The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) commissioned 12 artists (six for the Olympics and six for the Paralympics) to create the official posters. A panel, led by Tate director Nicholas Serota, narrowed down a long list of 100 potential artists to 12 of the UK’s finest. These artists will join the ranks of Andy Warhol and David Hockney, who have also created Olympic posters.
“We are delighted that British artists have produced such compelling images in response to the Olympic and Paralympic Games,” Serota said in a press release.
Some of the artists chosen by the committee sparked controversy. Tracey Emin is best known for pieces like “My Bed,” which featured a disheveled bed with empty vodka bottles and used condoms and “Everyone I’ve Slept With,” a pop-up tent adorned with names.
However, the piece Emin created for the Paralympics is quite tame compared to her past works. Two birds are perched above a branch kissing. Scribbled words above the birds read “You inspire me with Your determination And I Love You.”
“I thought about what I wanted to see and what would make me feel good because this is about feeling good and celebrating what we have. It is not just about sport. It is also about courage and determination,” Emin told the Guardian.
The posters were snubbed by some media critics as questionable choices for the Olympics. Howard Hodgkin’s abstract painting, “Swimming,” is one of the ones under fire. The piece was compared to a “blue blob” in the UK’s Sun and a child’s art project in the Daily Mail. The large blue swirl of paint was, in actuality, designed to match the fluidity of swimmers moving in the water.
READ ALSO: London Olympics 2012: Torch Route Includes Travel Adventures [VIDEO]
The union of art and sport dates back to 1912 when Stockholm created the first official poster and advertising campaign for the Olympics. Like the London posters, Stockholm’s were not without controversy- the official poster was barred from many public places due to the nudity of the men proudly waving nation’s flags.
The Queen received a set of the London 2012 prints for the Royal Collection, the Government Art Collection. The collection will be on display at Prime Minister David Cameron’s residence. The British Council also recieved prints. Their collection will be used in a “UK Now” exhibit, shown across China.
The images can be seen in a free exhibition at the Tate as part of the London 2012 Festival. They can also be purchased for seven pounds (about $11.25) on the London 2012 Web site.

A woman who had one of her 70-pound legs amputated claims the stump is growing, the Daily Mail reported.
Mandy Sellars, 36, is suspected to suffer from a rare condition called Proteus syndrome, which caused her to be born with abnormally large legs and feet.
Proteus syndrome is a congenital disorder that causes atypical growth of the bones, skin and head, as well as numerous tumors. Only 120 people in the world currently live with the condition, according to experts.
Despite her condition, Sellars was able to spend much of her life walking and engaging in normal activities until two years ago, when one of her legs became infected with septicaemia.
Sellars consented to surgery to amputate the leg after doctors told her she could die from the infection.
According to current guidelines regarding Proteus syndrome, surgery to remove an overgrown portion of bone should be performed only if the overgrowth affects normal functioning because this can sometimes increase the growth of the remaining bone.
And now, 22 months later, Sellars told reporters that the stump is indeed growing – and fast.
“I hoped the amputation would stabilize my condition, but I think I knew in my heart that it would start growing again,” Sellars told the Daily Mirror. “Almost straight away the stump began increasing in circumference and I was finding it harder to fit inside my prosthetic leg.”
“Then the stump got so heavy that it nearly broke the prosthetic leg.”
The stump now weighs 42 pounds and is nearly 40 inches in circumference, she said.

Mandy Sellars

Canada's Lauren Woolstencroft skis during the second training run at the IPC Alpine Skiing, Women's Downhill Standing competition in Whistler, B.C. Tuesday, March 10, 2009. Woolstencroft finished the training run in first postion. THE CANADIAN PRESS

It’s an impressive list, agrees Lauren Woolstencroft. There’s the high-profile hockey player, the high-scoring football player, the women’s soccer star, the triathlon/Iron Man competitor and the International Olympic Committee member who fought the war against performance-enhancing drugs.

All of them, including Woolstencroft, will be inducted here Tuesday into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame.

But the list that means the most to Woolstencroft is the one made up of people who helped transform a four-year-old disabled child into the stop-at-nothing alpine skier who won five gold medals at the 2010 Paralympics in Vancouver. Those people, they all played a role: the instructors who first introduced Woolstencroft to skiing, ironically, at Canada Olympic Park, now the home for the national Sports Hall of Fame; the gymnastics’ coach who convinced Woolstencroft to try the trampoline; the elementary school music teacher who had Woolstencroft play three bells in the choir even though she had only one hand; the school bus driver who spent his free time working with Woolstencroft so she could practise getting on and off the bus. A challenge for someone with no legs beneath the knees.

“Our neighbour taught her how to ride a two-wheeler,” said her mother, Dorothy Woolstencroft. “It was always something like that, people helping her at the right time. She’s been fortunate.”

You wouldn’t think of calling someone born with a physical handicap lucky. But that attitude, combined with Woolstencroft’s unsinkable determination, shaped one of the great feel-good careers in Canadian sports. Even today as an electrical engineer with British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority, Woolstencroft receives e-mails and recognition for being such an inspiring success. She insists she’s not always comfortable accepting such accolades.

“I never did the sport for attention. That was never the goal,” she said. “A lot of it was I wanted to do what I wanted to do. I was not going to let anything stop me.”

Dorothy has told the story many times of how her daughter would come home from school in Calgary and head right to the basement to teach herself how to use a skipping rope. Lauren didn’t want to be seen until she’d mastered the act. She also spent hours learning how to tie her shoe laces with one hand. Her mom and dad, Mark, a lawyer, helped by backing off.

“We were always involved in the War Amps’ CHAMP program,” Dorothy said. “They teach kids how to do it for themselves. We saw the logic in what they said.”

Woolstencroft began skiing at 4, took part in all the family ski trips to Whitefish, Mont., and became a competitive skier at 14. Four years later, she was named to the Canadian Para-Alpine team and bound for the 2002 Paralympics in Salt Lake City, where she won two gold medals and a bronze. It was followed by two more medals at the 2006 Paralympics in Turin and her remarkable performance in Vancouver – five first-place finishes in six days.

That signalled the end of Woolstencroft’s competitive career but not her association with her sport. True to her nature, she is determined to enable others in some fashion, most likely by working with disabled children and helping them chase their dreams.

“Part of why I retired was because the commitment was so huge. There was so much time built around the team and training,” said Woolstencroft, who was married less than five months ago to long-time boyfriend Derek Uddenberg. “Giving back is definitely something I want to do and I will do it.”

“She will,” her mom added. A lot of people have helped see to that.

By: Belinda Lanks – Senior Editor at Co.Design

Historically, Olympic medals haven’t been the medium of daring, Olympic-caliber design. Take Omer Arbel’s design for the 2010 Vancouver Games. Originally, he proposed a two-piece medal, which would be held together by concealed magnets and open to reveal a locket that could be worn by the winning athletes as a reminder of their achievements. After a few iterations, the locket was jettisoned and the concept reduced to a wavy piece of medal. The sad message to designers pitching Olympic committees: Stick to the basic form, experiment with texture.
That’s basically the guideline Lin Cheung followed in designing the new Paralympic medal, which will be presented at London’s 2012 games. The 40-year-old jewelry artist drew inspiration from Nike, the Greek goddess of victory, who has been depicted on the Olympic medal since 2004. The obverse side features an imagined close-up section of Nike’s outstretched wing, symbolizing “flight, power, and lightness.” The reverse side represents “the heart of victory,” with a mold taken from the chest of the The Nike of Paionios (not the fifth-century BC original, which is in Greece, but a plaster cast at the British Museum).

The Paralympics medals inspired by Nike and designed by Lin Cheung

The London Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games chose Lin’s design from those of an invited group of artists. “LOCOG sent us a design brief,” Cheung tells Co.Design, “and whilst it was very free and open to interpretation, they also wanted the Paralympic message to be included and that the front of the medal really talked to the back.” Working with the Royal Mint, she managed to achieve the strong tactile effect she wanted on both sides. “It is the most high-profile project I’ve worked on to date,” Cheung says. “And one of the most challenging aspects–along with realizing a strong concept through to fruition–was actually keeping it secret for well over a year!”

The medals are on view at the British Museum through September 9, 2012.

BRIAN GOMEZ
THE GAZETTE
Allison Jones sat on the track of the velodrome that will be used for the 2012 Paralympics in London. For a few captivating moments, she saw herself at the starting line, she heard the roar of the frenzied crowd and she got a glimpse of herself blazing across the finish.
In reality, “it was dead empty,” Jones said, adding that “there was nothing. There wasn’t a mark on the track, yet I could see all this. I was at race day, having that excitement.”

COURTESY OF THE USOC Olympic Training Center resident Allison Jones recently visited the velodrome that will be used for the 2012 Paralympics in London, where she hopes to compete in track cycling. She's a five-time Paralympian, having won a silver medal in road cycling in 2008, a gold in Alpine skiing in 2006 and two silvers in Alpine in 2002.

The Olympic Training Center resident recently joined six other Olympic and Paralympic champions on trips to London to visit Olympic venues and tourist destinations, part of a U.S. Olympic Committee online initiative to trigger more interest in the Summer Games.
A 20-episode web series, “Team USA: Britain Bound,” kicked off last month, with new videos released every week at teamusa.org/britainbound highlighting Jones, a four-time Paralympic medalist who claimed a silver in road cycling in 2008, a gold in Alpine skiing in 2006 and two Alpine silvers in 2002, as well as Henry Cejudo, a Coronado High School graduate and former OTC wrestler. Also in the group are Paralympic track and field star Jeremy Campbell, decathlete Bryan Clay, gymnast Nastia Liukin, soccer player Heather Mitts and swimmer Rebecca Soni.
Pictures, personal anecdotes and social media feeds are on the website – a collaboration between the Colorado Springs-based USOC and VisitBritain, the national tourism board of Great Britain, with financial support by USOC sponsors Samsung and Hilton. A video posted Monday shows Jones sightseeing at the Tower of London and traveling down the River Cam in Cambridge, and she also toured 10 Downing St., the home of British Prime Minister David Cameron, and tested her acting skills at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre.
“I had a blast,” Jones said about her first time in London. She said “there really are a lot of cool places,” noting she got to “get a sense of the culture and know a little bit more of the back story of some of the buildings and some of the history of London.”
Born without a right femur, Jones, 27, stands a realistic chance of qualifying for her sixth Paralympics, boasting a gold in the individual pursuit and a bronze in the individual time trial at the Para-cycling track world championships in March and golds in the time trial and the road race at the Paralympic road national championships in June. She’ll compete next at the Parapan American Games, which open Saturday in Guadalajara, Mexico.
“There is a shock to every time I go” to the Paralympics, said Jones, a 2007 Denver graduate. “Some of the awe has worn off a little bit. I’m more used to it, and I’m used to hearing the people. But I still love it. I still absolutely love it when you get the big crowds out there and get the people out there. … No matter how many times I’ve been to the Games, it’s still a really awesome experience to go back and get to be a part of it.”

Read more: http://www.gazette.com/articles/otc-128067-paralympic-sends.html#ixzz1d6eQKwmx

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — After his girlfriend died, Chris Jefferson took off in his wheelchair pushing and pushing his chair into the next county for 35 miles, before stopping. Then, he turned around and pushed his way back home, knocking out 70 miles altogether.

“It built my stamina, my endurance,” Jefferson said.

It was the beginning of an emotional healing and a physical strengthening.

‘I STARTED PUSHING’

Jefferson joined the U.S. Army in 1979 on his 18th birthday. He was an 82nd Airborne Paratrooper and wheel vehicle and generator mechanic, who served on the multinational force and observers group in Egypt. He also took part in the Grenada invasion.

He survived the Army but in 1989 Jefferson was injured in a motorcycle accident in Charlotte, N.C., that severed his spinal cord, leaving him paralyzed. He was 27. His fiancé told him she couldn’t handle it and left him.

Jefferson’s mother who he hadn’t seen in 14 years came to visit him in the hospital and convinced him he needed to give her power of attorney. She took the money he had saved and fled to Hawaii for an extended vacation.

In the hospital Jefferson met a woman named Donna, also paralyzed, who taught wheelchair aerobics at the hospital. She encouraged Jefferson to swim and be active.

They dated for a year-and-a-half. Then she died of cancer.

“It was two-and-a-half years of nothing but tragedy,” Jefferson said. “I was so mad at the world. I hated everything.

“I started pushing. I would push from one end of the town to the other. I did it late at night because I didn’t want people to see me in a wheelchair. I’d been an independent guy. Now people were always watching me.”

BECOMING AN ATHLETE

A buddy invited Jefferson to join Paralyzed Veterans of America, and in 1994 he attended its National Veterans Wheelchair Games.

One of the participants was Jim Martinson, a Vietnam veteran who had “both legs blown off in a landmine,” in 1968. Martinson won track gold medals at the Paralympics Games in 1980 and 1984.

“He’s one of the best wheelchair athletes in the country,” Jefferson said.

Martinson designed and built racing wheelchairs and adaptive skis. At the National Veterans Wheelchair Games he let Jefferson use one of his racing wheelchairs.

“He made me a chair and sent it to me eight weeks later,” Jefferson said. “That’s when I started racing the circuit, going to all the wheelchair races on the East Coast I could drive to.”

In 1995, Jefferson made it to the National Championships in Boston which qualified him for the 1996 Paralympic trials.

“I got spanked,” he said.

The Paralympics is an international sport competition for athletes with disabilities. Paralympic Games are held the same year as the Olympic Games and in the same venues. Jefferson almost made it in 1996, ranking eighth in the nation in the pentathlon — a 1,500 meter track, a 200-meter track, shotput, javelin and discus competition. The top four competitors were chosen for the USA Paralympic team.

Jefferson began coaching kids in wheelchair racing, and helped several win college scholarships. He opened an auto repair shop in the Appalachian foothills when other shops refused to hire him because of his disability.

And he waited eagerly for winter, for he had discovered skiing.

Disabled Sports USA ran an adaptive ski program for veterans at Beech Mountain in North Carolina for one week out of the year. It was the first adaptive ski clinic in the nation and where Jefferson learned to monoski.

A monoski is a molded seat mounted on a metal frame and ski with hand outriggers for balance.

Jefferson began teaching other disabled people to ski.

And he started entering and winning ski races.

Skiing was easier on his shoulders than pushing a wheelchair.

FOLLOWING THE DREAM

In 2002, Jefferson received a call from Tyler Jones, former director of Colorado DiscoverAbility, a Grand Junction nonprofit that helps individuals with disabilities achieve independence and self-confidence through outdoor therapeutic recreation.

Jones invited Jefferson on a 14-day river trip through the Grand Canyon after hearing about Jefferson from a CDA volunteer.

Jefferson moved to Grand Junction in 2006, and began volunteering for Colorado Discover Ability in both its summer activities and its wintertime ski program at Powderhorn Ski Resort.

Grand Junction resident Uschi Hall met Jefferson five or six ago when she was learning to ski at Powderhorn. Hall was paralyzed after a hang-gliding accident in Austria in 1994.

“He was right there for me with encouragement to try new things,” Hall said.

“He’s an amazing skier. He’s able to perform under pressure, and always keeps a smile on.”

In Snowmass, Jefferson teaches disabled veterans to ski at a winter sports clinic, known as “Miracle on the Mountainside.”

“Sports really does change your perspective on life,” Jefferson said. “After being in a wheelchair it opened up a lot of doors for me. It got me motivated, and having hope.

“Dream big, follow your dreams — that’s what I’m doing now.”

The National Ability Center, an official Paralympic club in Park City, Utah, invited Jefferson to train this fall and winter for the U.S. Paralympic Ski Team, after a coach saw Jefferson compete last winter in a veterans Paralympic ski camp in Snowmass.

The coach told Jefferson, who’ll be 50 in November: “You’re the oldest but you kicked butt.”

Jefferson will start training with the developmental team in Aspen Nov. 3. If he ranks high enough to make the Paralympic team he will continue training in Aspen.

Grand Junction resident Susan Capps met Jefferson while he was encouraging her daughter, Chani, who suffered a spinal cord injury three years ago and was learning to monoski at Powderhorn.

Capps is fundraising to help Jefferson meet expenses associated with the training camp, and (hopefully) participation in the 2014 Paralympic Games in Russia.

“I’ve seen Chris ski both as a teacher and as a competitor. He is a very hard worker and risk taker,” Capps said. “He lets nothing stand in his way. Nothing. Not his disability, not driving in freezing snow, not his financial status. This is something Chris wants to do very much. He has had a hard life since his accident. He deserves this chance.”

Anyone interested in creating a fundraiser to send Jefferson to the Paralympic training program in Aspen, can contact Capps at 970-243-4732.

“Let’s support Chris to serve his country again. He will make us proud no matter what,” Capps said.

1998 set precedent for snowboarders worldwide when it landed a spot as an Olympic sport.

Over ten years later, the fight today is by a select group of athletes trying to prove their worthiness of a medal, in the Paralympics. Over 600 million people worldwide struggle with physical disabilities — it is the most courageous that adapt to a physical loss and gain strength with a reshaped life. That’s why adaptive snowboarders are now fighting to make snowboarding an official Paralympic sport. Many pro snowboarders agree:

“I think its time to get them in the Olympics, because they have so much talent, and that’s their dream,” Hannah Teter exclaimed, who has inspired many as an Olympian snowboarder for the US elite.

US Olympian snowboarder, Kelly Clark, also supports the initiative for the sports’ acceptance in Sochi, Russia in the 2014 games, and respects the strength of adaptive riders. She agrees that its about time to see snowboarding included. The sport has come a long way, now a 2.5 billion dollar a year industry, gaining the highest ratings during the 2010 Winter Olympics. Just as the Olympics are about progression, breaking records, and high performance, the Paralympics have the power to inspire. Who wouldn’t be inspired by an amputee pulling around a front-360?

Mike Shea, an adaptive snowboarder with dreams of someday proudly wearing a medal around his neck, thinks that riders like him are truly “paving the way for adaptive athletes” to live a healthy lifestyle and focus their energy on progression. For him and many others, sports training engages them in a way they weren’t sure possible again. Adaptive snowboarder, Nicole Roundy, impressed hundreds of fans when she participated in the 2010 Burton U.S. Open for Women’s Halfpipe with a prostetic leg. These dedicated riders are survivors, doing what they love to do and fighting that much harder for it.

SCOTT Moorhouse fell literally flat on his face during his first competitive foray into sprinting ­- but he has no shame in concentrating just on the javelin from now as a result.

THE CLOCK IS TICKING: Scott Moorhouse, right with fellow disability athlete Richard Whitehead, will focus on the javelin at London 2012

The 22-year-old took to the 100m starting blocks for the first time ever at the CP National Championships last month and, despite looking good, stumbled over the line in final metres.

That experience, combined with the fact that the T42 100m and F42 javelin fall on the same day at next year’s Paralympics, helped Moorhouse decide to fully focus his attentions on the latter.

And, while he isn’t ruling out lining up on the blocks again, Moorhouse believes he will benefit from having one thing to concentrate on over the next ten months.

“I was looking good for about 94 metres but then I didn’t land on my blade properly and superman’ed and missed the line by about a metre,” said Moorhouse.

“So that was quite a bad experience but I have never been on the start line of a 100m race and it is a completely different experience to the javelin where you throw one at a time.

“It was a very interesting to experience that and I learnt a few things from it and I think because the way the 100m falls next year with the javelin I will concentrate on the javelin for a year.

“I will get the chance to do a bit of sprinting as that is part of my javelin training so I’m not completely dismissing that I just want to maximise my chances of getting a medal, a gold medal.

“So I think rather than putting my effort into that I will do everything I can and as much as possible to make an impact in the javelin.”
Moorhouse has just recently started winter training but afforded himself an afternoon off to help promote the Paralympic Torch Relay, which will take place between August 24 and 29 next year.

And Moorhouse, who finished fourth in the javelin at the World Championships in January, is calling on anybody and everybody to put their nominations forward.

“I generally believe London will be the greatest Paralympics yet and people should nominate someone who has made a difference in their community with disabled people to carry the Torch,” he added.

“Whether that is a parent, a friend, a teacher – just someone that you know who has made a difference and inspired disabled children. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity being involved with the torch relay and people should get nominating.”

Shine a light on someone that has made a difference in the disability community by nominating them to carry the Paralympic Flame with Lloyds TSB. To find our more or make a nomination visit www.lloydstsb.com/paralympicflame  by 22 November 2011.

But the side dubbed the Steelers were left feeling very anxious indeed when Qantas grounded their fleet, threatening to turn their Paralympic dream into a nightmare.

Much to their relief, their flight to Seoul on Wednesday is back on track after the labour dispute.

Now the world No.2 Australian men’s team have their sights set on renewing one of the great wheelchair rugby rivalries in London.
And it’s not with New Zealand.

Australia must clinch a top-two spot in the four-team Asia Oceania Regional Championships, starting in Seoul on Saturday, to earn a London nod.

Overcoming New Zealand – known as the Wheel Blacks – in South Korea weighs heavily on Australia’s mind.

But the Kiwis – surprisingly ranked as low as ninth in the world – are not the Aussies’ main focus.

Revenge is very much on the Steelers’ mind at London after succumbing to their nemesis the United States at both the Beijing Paralympics gold medal match and the 2010 world titles decider.

But Australian coach Brad Dubberley was not taking anything for granted, ahead of the all-important four-day qualifying tournament, despite describing his team as the strongest Australia had assembled.

“This is the most important tournament for us to get to London and we won’t get any second chances,” he said.
“We’ve worked hard over the last six months preparing for this.

“We’ve tried to simulate the conditions we’re likely to experience in Korea. We’ve played in tournaments where every single one of our guys has had significant court time and we are more prepared than we ever have been.

“This is the strongest wheelchair rugby team this country has ever seen.

“The competition will be tough but we definitely have what it takes to succeed.”

Australia still face a tough challenge just to get to London, taking on world No.3 Japan, hosts South Korea and perennial rival New Zealand in Seoul.

But Australia, no doubt, have some unfinished business with the Americans after succumbing 57-45 in the 2010 world titles final – as well as their 53-44 loss at the Beijing Paralympics.

Indeed, the US team – made famous in the critically-acclaimed 2005 film “Murderball” – are the benchmark after winning their third gold medal in China.

Once again, Australia will be bolstered in Seoul by Ryley Batt who, at just 19, scored an unbelievable 23 goals for Australia in the Beijing gold medal playoff – more than half his team’s points.

Meanwhile, the Australian women’s rugby team, as well as their basketball teams the Rollers and the Gliders, also head to South Korea this week for their Paralympic qualifying tournaments.

All need to finish in the top two to secure their place at the Games.

The Rollers are the team to beat after claiming Beijing Paralympic gold and the 2010 world title, while the Gliders are looking to better the bronze medal they won in 2008.

The wheelchair basketball Paralympic qualifiers take place from November 4-10.

We have received this information and Flyer from Helen Blamey, the newly employed Talent Identification coach for adaptive boats. Her role is to identify new individuals who can increase our medal wining potential, and widen participation in the sport of Adaptive Rowing.

As this is a new sport for us to be telling you about, we’d love to hear any feedback from people who do have a go or take it further. Who knows, you may end up representing GB in 2012 or 2016!

In 2009 Nicole ‘Snooki’ Polizzi set up a charity for people with Insulto Annus Disorder. This is a rare condition that is suffered by people born in a leap year, as a result of which one’s body ages four times faster than it should. This short film follows Billy, a four year old with the body of a twenty two year old man, documenting the support he receives and the discrimination that he suffers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8x2X2pvFXA

PLEASE NOTE: This film is a mockumentary. Insulto Annus Disorder does not exist and Nicole Polizzi did not set up a charity that supports it. The purpose of this film is to highlight my own personal opinion regarding my disability. Jack George

From participating in the U.S. Paralympic Ski Team to writing a best-selling memoir, Josh Sundquist hasn’t let the amputation of his left leg define his life.

At the age of 9, Sundquist was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer, which caused the need for an amputation. While doctors predicted he had a 50-50 chance of survival, Sundquist battled the disease and has used his triumph in the face of adversity as fodder for inspirational talks around the country — such as last night’s lecture “Laughing At Our Differences,” which was sponsored by Student Entertainment Events.

“In life, you set out to do something … and all of a sudden, there’s a bull standing 20 feet away from you,” Sundquist said. “I don’t know what a bull is like for you, but I know that life is tough.”

As the author of Just Don’t Fall, the founder of a social networking site for amputees called LessThanFour.org and a member of the 2006 U.S. Paralympic Ski Team, Sundquist told the dozens of attendees in Hoff Theater that he doesn’t let the loss of his leg get him down.

Josh Sundquist at the Hoff Theatre talking about overcoming adversity following the amputation of his left leg when he was 9. Photo by Jeremy Kim

“In my speeches, I tell stories about my experiences about having one leg and the things I’ve learned along the way,” he said. “My message is about overcoming adversity, and adversity is something that everyone has to deal with as a college student.”

He said he uses his experience to show others that obstacles can be overcome — usually through laughter.

Sundquist said he tries to make his audience laugh as he details various life experiences.

Last night, he recounted a time when his prosthetic malfunctioned — right in the middle of a first date. Instead of letting the incident ruin his outing, he said he made light of the situation, which is a philosophy he extends to the rest of his life.

“I thought, this is my first date, and you only get one first date, so why would I let it be ruined?” he said. “So what did I do? I got up, laughed about it and played that next hole of golf.”

From smuggling a two-liter bottle of soda into a movie theater by dangling it in his left pant leg to running away from a bull in the middle of a field in a failed attempt at cow tipping, several students — such as junior communication major Rebecca Railey — said Sundquist’s humor came full-circle to inspire his audience.

“He incorporated comedy,” Railey said. “If it was serious, it wouldn’t have been as good.”

Sundquist ended the evening by saying he’d found his ‘sole’-mate — a man with the same shoe size and sneaker taste who lost his right leg. The two share their pairs of shoes.

Some students said it was stories such as this one that captivated the audience.

“It was awesome — really highly energized, positive,” said senior environmental science and technology Leaton Jones. “Everyone was interested in hearing what he had to say. I liked how he combined comedy with inspiration to keep the energy up.”

With drizzle and high winds forecast for the day the organisers had little choice other than to call of the event. Paul Asbridge, CFI at Caernarfon & CEO of The Eagles Wings Trust expressed his dismay saying “although we will probably be able to fly it will undoubtedly be too rough and bumpy for the Braves – the last thing we want to do is put them off flying for life!!”

And so, rather than finishing off Young Aviators 2011 on a spectacular high, the programme has ended as something of a damp squib. Despite the obvious disappointment however, we are very upbeat as 2011 has been an enormous success and plans are well in hand to expand the programme in 2012 with, hopefully, more venues being added to the programme. We plan to announce next year’s programme at the end of the year.

In the meantime we are indebted to all the “Friends of the Braves” around the UK who have provided the facilities, loaned their aircraft, given up time to fly The Braves and contributed so much in a host of different roles from pilots to ground crew to caterers and even to clowns!! It has been a brilliant year that has seen around 150 Braves and some of their family members take to the air in almost 500 sorties and on their behalf we thank you one and all.

Keith Delderfield – Event Co-ordinator

(You will find a link to the Bader Salver Final Results page underneath the article and photographs)

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Abbotsley is “Abs Fab” for 2011 Ladies Salver Final.

The Bader Salver 2011 Finalists

Finalists from throughout the UK gathered on Friday 16^th September at the magnificent Abbotsley Golf Hotel near St Neots, Cambridgeshire to compete for the Bader Ladies Trophy. Ten pairs of lady golfers having qualified at one of the regional finals that had been staged over the previous eight weeks were joined by the defending champions from Edenmore Golf & Country Club in Northern Ireland, Heather Patterson and Louise Gaw.

Abbotsley Director of Golf, Christine Langford, had arranged a fun competition for Friday afternoon which gave everyone the opportunity of meeting one another and getting to know their way around the excellent Abbotsley Course which had been beautifully prepared and presented by the green staff for the competition. It certainly presented a tough challenge to the group with, as always, some coping with the blustery conditions better than others. As play for the day came to a close everyone had the opportunity to sample the social facilities of our generous sponsors and hosts and in the department everyone coped very well and by the close of play were pretty much completely oblivious of the conditions.

Saturday morning started with very promising weather but by the time the first of our teams tee’d off at 11.00 for the official practice round the clouds had gathered and the first three matches set of in very wet and miserable conditions. However, as play progressed things picked up nicely and within an hour the players were enjoying some great golfing conditions which were reflected in some very impressive scoring. With the first tee time for the final again being at 11.00 on Sunday, Saturday evening was a somewhat more subdued affair with none but the hardy few (or super confident) taking full advantage of the two bars on offer.

And so Sunday dawned and suddenly the importance of the day was evident. The defending champions playing with markers from Abbotsley, General Manager Helen Lavis and club member Marie Bayes, led the field off in splendid conditions. It was clear from the word go that a good score would be required to take the 2011 title and after the first few holes it seemed that scoring was going to be tight between all of the competitors. As the players passed through the 9^th, most taking advantage of the “Halfway House” catering facilities, tensions were building and nobody was giving much away. Sadly towards the end of play the rain started, not pouring, but heavy enough to make conditions for the last couple of holes to be “uncomfortable” particularly for the later starters. The short 18^th proved a great test of nerves and a great challenge for a closing hole – a big decision as to whether to give it a go over a pretty intimidating pond or to take the safer route and lay up. Everyone had their own strategy and quite a few suffered the same fate of taking to the water!!

But, of course, there will always be a winner and for the first time the Salver is returning to the winning region and is going back to Northern Ireland; not just to Northern Ireland but even to the same club as the previous champions. With a super score of 42 points Stephanie Watson and Karen Legrand are taking the trophy back to the Edenmore Golf and Country Club.

The weekend was brought to a close with an excellent presentation dinner and a thoroughly enjoyable evening.

The worthy winners of the Bader Salver 2011, Stephanie Watson and Karen Legrand

And so the 2011 Final drew to a very satisfactory conclusion. We are indebted to Vivian Saunders, Proprietor of The Abbotsley Golf Hotel and to Christine and Helen for their superb hospitality and magnificent and generous sponsorship of our tournament. There is no doubt that The Abbotsley Hotel and its two super 18 hole courses provide a brilliant venue for events such as this and is just a great place for a golfing break.

Lastly, but not least, our thanks go to John Southwick and Pat. As always John has worked tirelessly to ensure that everything ran so smoothly and everyone at The Douglas Bader Foundation, particularly those that the charity supports through its work, are more than grateful for John and Pats enthusiasm, loyal  support and contribution that results from their effort.

Down the 3rd!

Between the trees...maybe!

The winners in action: Stephanie Watson and Karen Legrand, Edenmore Golf and Country Club

* Please click on the link to go to The Bader Salver Final  Abbotsley Golf Hotel – Results Page where you will be able to see a report by John Southwick, the Tournament organiser and download the results in full. *

Published on Monday 19 September 2011 08:37 by Portsmouth News)

TENS of thousands of spectators and competitors at the Goodwood Revival were transported back to the dark days of the war when 10 Spitfires took to the skies for a memorable flypast.

The iconic fighter planes scrambled en masse yesterday at the motor circuit near Chichester – which used to be the wartime airfield RAF Westhampnett, from where heroes including Douglas Bader took off to play such a crucial role in winning the Battle of Britain.

The display was delayed by heavy rain, but then the sun came out and the clouds lifted enough for the Spitfires to get airborne to commemorate the 75th anniversary since the very first one flew from Eastleigh airport.

As the Band of the Royal Marines played down on the track, the combined roar of the Merlin engines overhead was something to behold.

The 10 planes that flew in formation was believed to be the highest number that had been seen at one time since the Second World War.

Goodwood owner Lord March told the big crowds: ‘The Spitfire was, and remains, an absolute thoroughbred. Rarely can a design team produce something that not only is right but looks right.’

He added: ‘Production continued for 12 years until 1948 and the surviving aircraft are a monument to all those who built, maintained and flew them.’

The other highlight at the third and final day of this year’s Revival meeting was an action-packed, two-driver RAC TT race, featuring exotic closed cockpit 1960s GT cars worth a combined £200m and piloted by a host of famous names.

Eight-time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen and his team-mate Kenny Brack emerged victorious in their Shelby Cobra Daytona, with F1 commentator Martin Brundle and Mark Hales second in Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason’s Ferrari 250 GTO.

The drivers had to contend with a downpour mid-race that caused standing water and great plumes of spray. Crowds watched from beneath a sea of umbrellas as the field used all their skill to stay on the Tarmac and avoid collisions.

Brundle said: ‘You couldn’t see anything out there, but I really enjoyed it.’

Celebrities soaking up the atmosphere included DJ Chris Evans and chef James Martin.

Evans smiled: ‘This event is unbelievable. The girls love all the dressing up and the boys love seeing the cars.’

(No sexism there then, Chris! – WMcC)

A WOMAN who has had her leg amputated from above the knee is taking part in a three-day London to Paris charity cycle ride.

Gemma Trotter, 29, from Smallfield near Horley, will be taking part in the 300km bike ride with 19 other amputees.

She is hoping to raise £3,000 for Limbpower, Douglas Bader Foundation and the Limbless Association.

Crawley company Squirrel Financial Planning has purchased a new sports bike for Gemma and will be kitting the whole team with clothing.

Gemma said: “In addition to supporting these three charities, we are keen to make other amputees aware of what they can achieve by taking part in a sport. Many are interested but reluctant and hold back because they are unsure of how or where to start and have absolutely no idea of the benefits and rewards.”

Following a family car accident in Belgium when she was just 14-, Gemma feels extremely lucky to be alive and not paralysed after her left leg was shattered into more than 50 pieces and her neck broken in three.

Jayne Wildish, director Squirrel Financial Planning said: “I met Gemma at Nuffield Health gym in Crawley and was so impressed with her determination to help others and encourage them to take up some form of sport that we decided to sponsor her.”

The Douglas Bader Foundation is extremely grateful to Gemma and all who are taking part in the London to Paris bike ride on behalf of the charities involved. We wish you all an enjoyable and memorable trip and look forward to hearing about it on your return.

There cannot be many occasions when one wakes in the morning praying that it is pouring with rain when you pull the curtains back …… for me Saturday 3^rd September was one!!!

On what was a glorious Friday afternoon driving up to our Saturday venue I took a call in my car around mid-afternoon telling me that the weather forecast for the next day was awful and that I needed to take a decision regarding a further postponement. Within a couple of minutes I had received two more calls conveying a similar message in a very forceful way. It seemed inconceivable that such a dramatic decline would take place but after a further discussion with our hosts I was beginning to be persuaded that the sophisticated meteorological  communication equipment at Caernarfon Airport was somewhat more reliable than my personal feeling and the seaweed tied to the car aerial!!!

The decision was reluctantly taken to postpone the event and by the time that I arrived at the Airport later in the afternoon, Mandi had already made contact with most of those registered informing them of the postponement. It was too late in the day to make the return 275 mile trip back home so my loyal assistant “Biggles” Rance and I checked into our hotel, grabbed a beer and sat in the garden marvelling at was a truly magnificent summers evening …… surely I should have stuck with my seaweed technology – I had made a dreadful mistake!!

Just imagine then how pleased I was when my alarm woke me at 6.45 am on Saturday, I reluctantly climbed from my bed, pulled back the curtains and – thank goodness – the skies were leaden, visibility was next to nil and it was pouring with rain, not just pouring but absolutely tipping down. What a relief, my masterly judgement had been justified; never before had I been so pleased to see a wet Saturday.

To make my day complete, Biggles and I scooted to the Airport before setting off home and thanks to the kindness Paul Asbridge CEO of Eagles Wings Trust and our Caernarfon hosts suggested we have another go on Saturday 8^th October; surely it is going to be third time lucky!!

PS – No photos because a grey wet Saturday is no different in Caernarfon than anywhere else & PPS – For sale – 1 piece of seaweed !!!!

Thank goodness Sunday 28^th August provided much better weather for our Bader Braves Young Aviators than Sunday 17^th July had when torrential rain and high winds forced the abandonment of the event.

Although not a blisteringly hot or particularly sunny day, weather conditions were pretty good for flying and by the time the Braves started to arrive at 10.30, eight aircraft and a team of eleven pilots were waiting to take off with their charges. At approximately ten minute intervals an aeroplane load of Bader Braves and their escorts, families and carers took off for a flight of some thirty minutes taking in Henley, a very muddy Reading Festival, George Harrisons estate and a good bit of the River Thames and Berkshire countryside. As the day progressed more pilots volunteered their services and aircraft including one generous owner to make his helicopter available to us throughout the afternoon.

The generosity of the West London Aero Club members and owners of aeroplanes never ceases to amaze and their cheerful enthusiasm and involvement with the youngsters goes much further than just giving someone a flight; it involves explain how an aeroplane works and what the various knobs, buttons, switches and levers do. The day was so busy that there was hardly time for the pilots to take lunch, it was more of grabbing a quick sandwich, downing a cuppa and on with the task!!

Of course the organisation of such a successful day starts long before the event takes place and we are indebted to John Walker and in particular, Deny Batchelor who once again has organised not just the pilots but also all of the picnic lunches a particularly difficult task this year due to the cancellation of the original July date.

By the time the last flight landed and the aircraft taxied to a rest in front of the impressive White Waltham Clubhouse, 115 passengers had been flown in 45 sorties throughout what has been a fantastic day; we are indeed indebted to everyone who volunteered and played a part!!

A short film taken on the day by David Bickers can be seen by clicking HERE

A selection of photographs taken at the event by Keith Delderfield and Jerry, the pilot of G-AYRI. The one of Jerry beside his aeroplane was kindly contributed by Jessica!

[Show as slideshow]

Once again Goodwood Aerodrome provided not just a superb venue for our Bader Braves Young Aviators Day on 21^st August but also great weather, maybe not quite as hot as last year but sunny and bright, just right for a very successful flying day.

Youngsters were again treated to flights by the members of the Goodwood Aero Club in an assortment of aircraft ranging from the more traditional and recognisable club equipment to the slightly less familiar privately owned aircraft. Throughout the day some forty flights were given carrying over one hundred youngsters and their family members, some having two or three flights thanks to the generosity of all of the pilots who had given up their time and aircraft for our use.

Volunteers from Tangmere Military Aviation Museum were again on hand with their great flight simulator which provided great fun and a good, hands on experience, of flying a whole range of different aeroplanes for everyone whilst waiting for their turn to fly. One of the biggest challenges that the simulator offered was that of piloting a Hawker Hunter through Tower Bridge, a task met with varying degrees of success; at least on a simulator the most serious of mis-judgements causes no  serious damage other than to personal pride!!

As always, everyone at Goodwood, under the stewardship of Alex Anderson, pulled out all of the stops to ensure that we all had a great day and without doubt, their hard work and cheerful was well rewarded and appreciated by each and every one of the Bader Braves.

Please click on the Bader Braves Aeroplane to visit a previous news post where you will find pictures and a short video of the the event:

Adam Layer

“I am very proud to be an ambassador of the Douglas Bader Foundation. I have been drawn into the world of aviation head first, and have felt first hand the ecstatic feeling of being in the air above the earth, and taking control of a light aircraft. By giving young people in difficult circumstances the opportunity to do this, the Foundation provides them with an experience they will never forget. I remember after my first flight, thinking; ‘if I can do this, I can do anything”. I have been inspired, and I hope many more children can be.”

Adam Layer. Amputee, Aircraft Engineer and Ambassador.

Team Bader before the race (but after the doughnuts). From left to right, Sophie Delderfield, Emma Rance, Ellen Doyle (soon to be Delderfield) with Tessa Barfield standing just behind Thunderbolt and Lightning

Among the 15,000 women who lined up at the start of the Adidas Womens 5k Challenge at 11.00am on Sunday 11 September in Hyde Park, London, were six brave beauties who have so far raised over £600.00 for the Douglas Bader Foundation.

Bader vets, Jess Delderfield and her sister Jill Jeffery, along with two of Jess’s daughters, Tessa and Sophie were joined this year by daughter-in-law elect Ellen (Ellen has now been part of the Delderfield clan for some 25 years one way or another, but paperwork and formalities are not due to be finalised until July 2012!!). This was Ellen’s first ever race since finishing a credible second in the year three egg and spoon race at Tring School some years back.

This year Team Bader has been privileged to have another virgin Bader runner in the shape of family friend Emma Rance who mistakenly thought that when she signed up for a ladies only event it was a hen night!! Ellen and Emma finished their race in a very credible 33 minutes and so enjoyed the experience that they have already signed up to join Team Bader in the 2012 British 10k Road Race next July.

Seasoned athletes and sisters, Tessa Barfield and Sophie Delderfield both put up very good race times although neither achieved their best probably due to the conditions and the curry the night before. Mother of two, Tessa completed the race in 26 minutes whilst despite not being quite as fast this year, her 20min 50sec time put Sophie in a magnificent 37^th place.

Bringing up the rear of Team Bader were our two Bader Seniors, Jill Jeffery and her elder sister Jess Delderfield. Both have been fantastic supporters and fund raisers in these events for many years now and are always looking forward to the next event. After the race Jill said that she was rather disappointed with her time and “I know that if I had started earlier I could have finished sooner!!!”

The picture at the top shows Team Bader before the start having just had coffees and doughnuts at the Lido Café in Hyde Park. They are, from left to right, Sophie Delderfield, Emma Rance, Ellen Doyle (soon to be Delderfield) with Tessa Delderfield standing just behind Thunderbolt and Lightning. (Sadly, after having been vetted by the website moderator, we were not allowed to publish the photograph taken at the end of the race in case it frightened some of our younger viewers or those of a nervous disposition!!).

You will gather that whether a serious runner or just wanting to take part and help the charity raise some funds, everyone has a great morning with lots of laughs. Everyone at the Foundation is indebted to the girls of “TEAM BADER” and grateful to each of them for their loyal support and fund raising effort on behalf of the charity.

Keith Delderfield

* If you would like to be part of “THE TEAM” at future events, then contact Keith on 07831 596015*

Emma Rance and Ellen Doyle (soon to be Delderfield) see off the competition

Sophie sprints for the line

Tessa sees the finish in sight

Bader Seniors Jess and Jill surge past the field

Wendy McNay and Dale Christie from Banchory won at PITREAVIE GOLF CLUB on the 1st September with 43 pts (24 B9) and Stephanie Watson and Karen Legrand from Edenmore won with 40 pts at the Regional Final played out at EDENMORE GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB on the 9th September .

Congratulations to the winning pairs who both have something special to celebrate as well as their wins. Wendy McNay and Dale Christie won their Regional Final despite only coming 3rd when they competed in their own Golf Club’s qualifying round. Luckily for them, neither of the 1st 2 pairs were able to attend the Regional Final and Wendy and Dale certainly made the most of their opportunity! Stephanie Watson and Karen Legrand made it a home team win for Edenmore with their victory and, unlike another home team winning pair, are fortunately able to reap the rewards of their victory by attending the Grand Final at Abbotsley Golf Hotel.

Our thanks to all the participating Golf Clubs and all those players who took part. Congratulations, of course, to the winners and we hope that those of you who weren’t victorious this time will return to battle it out for the Salver again in 2012.

The Bader Salver raises a considerable amount of money for the Douglas Bader Foundation so, after a lamented absence of the competition, we are very grateful to The Abbotsley Golf Hotel for stepping into the breach and sponsoring it this year. We are sure that all the Grand Finalists will have a wonderful stay there during the finals and will enjoy the fantastic facilities on offer whether they win or lose.

Without the sponsorship, the participating Golf Clubs, the players and, of course, the tireless organisers, John Southwick and Pat, there would be no Bader Salver and we are extremely grateful to you all.

You can see all the results and other information on the Bader Salver Regional Final Results Page by clicking HERE.

Congratulations to the winners, Christine Clarke and John Plunkett from Deer Park who won with 44 pts and will be joining the other winners for the Grand Finals in the Algarve.

Many thanks to all the participating Golf Clubs and players who took part in all the Regional Finals this year. We wish all the winners a very enjoyable Grand Final and hope that those who didn’t win this time will be back to challenge again in 2012.

Every year the prestigious Bader Cup competition raises a considerable amount of money for the Douglas Bader Foundation and we are very grateful for your participation.

Our thanks also, of course, to John Southwick and Pat for all their hard work in organising and running the competition. Without them there would be no Bader Cup.

* You can see all the results and see more information on the Bader Cup Regional Finals Results Page by clicking HERE *

Remarkable Mandy Sellars remains upbeat despite having one of her legs amputated – because it kept on growing.

She suffers from a condition similar to Proteus Syndrome, which was the same illness that affected Elephant Man Joseph Merrick.

It means all of her fat is stored below her waist and in January last year Mandy had to have her left leg removed because of a life-threatening cellulitis infection.

The operation took six-and-a-half hours and she had to stay in hospital for five months afterwards.

The 36-year-old told This Morning: “I had kind of prepared myself as the doctor told me it was me or the leg, and I didn’t want to die.

“The weight of my leg was just increasing really quickly and it was causing infection after infection and it was getting really difficult to walk.

“I thought that maybe life would be better without the leg, and that’s why I had it removed.

“People are always going to remember me whether they speak to me or not because obviously I do stand out in the crowd, but that’s not a bad thing.”

She also spoke about why she only had one leg removed, rather than both.

“Simply because if you’ve got one leg left it’s easier to transfer from the wheelchair to the bed to the sofa. If you don’t have both legs, then you need hoists to move yourself around the flat, and that would make living really, really difficult,” she said.

Three years ago she told The Mirror (click HERE for a link to the original article) how she was travelling to the States to try and find a cure, but that failed to offer any hope.

The former voluntary worker for the RSPCA from Accrington, Lancs, has a fantastic bunch of friends who help her, but she does worry about the future.

She added: “The stump is growing in size, it just will not stop. I think the last time it was measured it was a metre in circumference, and that’s going to get bigger and bigger.

“There’s nothing that can be done, I’ve had liposuction in the past, and that just seemed to stimulate the growth.”

She is now undergoing pioneering medical research with doctors in Cambridge who hope that one day they will find out exactly what her condition is, and devise treatment that will stop her legs from growing.

“It’s scary for the doctors as they don’t want to do the wrong thing, I just live day-to-day, and maybe in the future something will come around to help with my condition.

“But not so I look different, I don’t mind the way I look, I like it! But just for health reasons really.”

“I consider myself lucky that I have the condition as it has opened doors in my life that would never have opened if I had been the average person.”

Mandy is now raising awareness of Proteus Syndrome so that people will not be so shocked by her appearance and that one day there may be a cure.

Please click HERE to see the original article with pictures of Mandy talking to Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford on “This Morning”

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Your attitude is an inspiration, Mandy. All at the Douglas Bader Foundation wish you the best of luck with your medical treatment and search for awareness of and hopefully one day a cure for Proteus Syndrome.

* Voting Open Now Until August 28 at www.Facebook.com/CourageInSports

* 2011 America’s Choice Honoree Announced on CBS Nov. 13

CHICAGO – St. Olaf College senior Adam Starr, a lifelong gymnast and All-American high school diver who lost his leg to cancer in 2009, is nominated for the America’s Choice Honor for Courage in Sports, Intersport announced today. The America’s Choice Honor is wholly determined by fan voting and will be announced on a one-hour “Courage in Sports” special airing at 5 p.m. ET Nov. 13 on CBS.

Each week for eight weeks, two inspirational athletes will be featured on the Courage in Sports Facebook page (www.facebook.com/CourageInSports). The top weekly vote-getter will proceed to the finals, which begins Oct. 17, and the overall winner will be announced as the 2011 America’s Choice Honoree on CBS Nov. 13.

Starr, a 21-year-old pre-med student, became an Internet sensation this summer after posting a video to YouTube of his first day back in the gym after two years of rehabilitation. To see his incredible video, go to http://youtu.be/bQTpLVvAdm8.

The other week one nominee is Eric LeGrand, a Rutgers University football player that suffered a severe spinal injury after a devastating hit in October of 2010. LeGrand is now inspiring his teammates from the sidelines with his intense will to persevere and eventually walk again.

To support Starr or LeGrand, fans can vote as often as they would like and can share their vote with Facebook friends. Week one voting opened today and ends Aug. 28 at 11:59 p.m. ET.

About Intersport

For 25 years, Intersport has been an award-winning innovator and leader in the creation of sports and entertainment based marketing platforms. Intersport provides turnkey solutions for global brands by combining two award-winning divisions: Sponsorship & Event Marketing and Television & Digital Media.

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Adam Starr has appeared previously in our News Posts. To see the original post (which also features Adam’s video), please follow the link:

/2011/08/08/amputee-adam-starr-returns-to-the-gym-see-his-film-and-be-inspired/

The Douglas Bader Foundation wishes you the best of luck, Adam. You’d be a worthy winner.

We’ve just received the first photographs from the hugely enjoyable BADER BRAVES Young Aviators Day that was held at Goodwood Flying Club on Sunday 21st August.

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You can also see a short film featuring young amputee, William, by clicking on the link: Goodwood Flying Video

At the Bader Braves Flying Day at Goodwood, he first used a flight simulator provided by RAF Museum Hendon where he was thought to be outstanding at landing ! He subsequently had a couple of flights and was allowed to take control for a short period which re – emphasised his capability. He is now determined to be a pilot and take lessons and go for his dream. William is 10.

If you click on the Bader Braves Aeroplane, you can fly straight to the BADER BRAVES Gallery Page where you can see all the other photographs from other Flying Days

* A report on the day will follow soon, so please keep checking for updates. *