It only feels like last week we were all cheering on the GB Paralympic team as they seemed almost destined to win a medal in every sport going. However now, two weeks on from the closing ceremony, here in Manchester we are preparing for the parade which will be taking place on Monday 17th October throughout the city centre culminating in a celebration outside the town hall.
The parade is a celebration and chance for the public to show our support and appreciation to all the Olympians and Paralympians who took part in Rio 2016 and provided us with four glorious weeks of great entertainment with sporting triumphs.
Whilst many of us were glued to the screen watching and cheering the athletes on for those few weeks, for the athletes themselves Rio was the end of years of hard work and training. For the Paralympic athletes it was not just the years of hard work and training which had gotten them there, but the determination to overcome their disabilities and shine in their chosen sport.
Who could forget the amazing moment Jonnie Peacock won the 100m T44 gold medal? This was possibly only just surpassed by him dressed in a tutu for The Last Leg comedy show the following day.
Here, in advance of the parade I have highlighted some of the athletes I’m most excited to see on the 17th:
Andy Lewis
The first ever Paralympic gold medal winning triathlete, Andy is a firm friend of PotterReesDolan having spoken recently at our conference 'Back to the Future' Rehabilitation Conference focusing on amputation and rehabilitation in conjunction with PACE and Exchange Chambers. Andy gave us some unique commentary for the guide to amputee sports which we added in connection with this conference.
Andy had been planning on joining the army but, aged 18, he was struck by a lorry resulting in extensive injuries to his legs and landing him in hospital for almost two years. Andy spoke passionately at our conference about how the accident left him feeling down; he was in pain and facing the fact that he would never be able to join the army and pursue his chosen career.
However, after taking the brave decision to have his leg amputated, Andy found sport and has dedicated his life to being the best in his field, something he showed the world he had achieved by winning gold in Rio.
Karen Darke
Karen is one of the gold medal winning cyclists from Rio 2016 having gone one better than her silver in London 2012. Karen describes herself as being an adventurous and outdoorsy person however, at the age of just 21, she had an accident whilst sea cliff climbing suffering a spinal injury and ended up paralysed from the chest down.
Karen, like many of our spinal injured clients, wasn’t about to let her disability stop her from being the natural adventurer that she was always meant to be and has taken part in some of the most extreme activities she could find.
On her blog, Karen recounts some of her adventurous including in 2006 when she took part in an expedition which crossed Greenland's ice cap whilst sitting on skis using her arms and poles to cover the 372 mile crossing.
She has also climbed Mont Blanc, the Matterhorn and El Capitan and hand-cycled, skied and swam the length of Japan. In 2009 Karen competed in para-cycling world cup winning bronze and has been on an upward trajectory ever since.
Megan Giglia
Megan's story has perhaps been one of the most widely talked about from the Rio Paralympics. In 2012, during the London Paralympic games, Megan was an able-bodied sports coach no doubt watching and cheering with the rest of us. However, Megan has no recollection of the London games as, in 2013, she suffered a stroke following a brain haemorrhage. Megan’s story resonates particularly with as here at PotterReesDolan as we deal with the effects of delays in diagnosing and treating brain haemorrhages, along with traumatic brain injuries, however Megan’s story has a fantastic and positive outcome.
After fainting several times at work, Megan sought medical help and underwent various investigations which revealed blood in her spinal fluid, a positive indicator of aneurysm. Further investigations revealed the haemorrhage and Megan underwent surgery. At first the surgeons attempted to coil the aneurysm but that was unsuccessful and Megan underwent a craniotomy, presumably so the bleed could be clipped.
Unfortunately, Megan suffered complications and after being in a coma for two weeks awoke with right-sided weakness along with impairments to her speech and memory. Megan was able to attend a specialist neurorehabilitation centre and started cycling as start of her rehabilitation. I’m sure Team GB are thrilled that she was able to access such specialist neurorehabilitation as just three years later Megan won the first gold medal for Team GB at the Rio games.
I am absolutely delighted at the prospect of seeing Megan in person and cheering with the rest of the crowds during the parade as I feel Megan has the ability to be a real inspiration to a number of our clients who have suffered brain injuries to show that with the right support and rehabilitation nothing is impossible irrespective of the brain injury.
Gordon Reid
I have to confess to a huge soft sport for Gordon Reid and his doubles partner Alfie Hewitt. I think it’s the hairband! In July 2016, Gordon won Wimbledon for the first time; how on earth could he top that?
Bring on Rio 2016 and he absolutely did by winning gold in the men’s wheelchair singles and silver in the men’s wheelchair doubles with his partner Alfie Hewitt who he beat to gold in the singles.
Gordon seems set for his career to go into overdrive and it’s so easy to forget the path he has already travelled to get here. As a child, Gordon was fully able-bodied and started playing tennis at six years old.
However, in 2004, at just 13 years old he contracted transverse myelitis a neurological condition in which the spinal cord is inflamed. The inflammation damages nerve fibres, and causes them to lose their myelin coating leading to decreased electrical conductivity in the central nervous system.
As a result, Gordon became reliant on a wheelchair but that was not going to stop him taking part in the sport he loves and in April 2005 Gordon won his first wheelchair tennis title, just six weeks after coming out of hospital. The dedication and determination to be the best at his sport, no matter what life has thrown at him, makes Gordon one of the greatest tennis champions in my mind and I am really excited to see him during the parade. I just hope he’ll be wearing his trade mark hairband and that I don’t swoon too much!