Page 8 - Eagle Eye Spring 2022

Adaptive Sports
By Midge Hartley
“Life often doesn’t give you a second chance, but when it does...”
In 2007 my life took an unexpected turn when I was diagnosed with a rare, genetic condition called Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia (HSP). HSP is a degenerative neurological condition, which affects 1 in 77,000 people. It causes lower limb weakness, muscle stiffness & involuntary spasms, all of which severely impacts my mobility. In layman’s terms, my legs are slowly dying from the feet up.
Prior to this diagnosis, rugby played an important part throughout my RAF career. I was fortunate to Captain the RAF Brampton, RAF Marham and Chicksands rugby teams; playing rugby overseas in Europe, United States and South Africa. However, while playing rugby, I started to become aware that I was often struggling with a lack of flexibility in my legs. The resultant stiffness appeared to be more prominent after playing, resulting in me displaying what was later referred to as an ‘unusual gait.’ Although frustrating, and the focus of some good-humoured banter, this never stopped me from playing rugby or fulfilling my RAF role.
I was formally admitted to DMRC Headley Court in 2013 for review and rehabilitation. This process unfortunately coincided with my subsequent medical discharge from the Service.
However, whilst at Headley Court, I was
introduced to the Band of Brothers (BoB) fellowship which is supported by Help for Heroes. This network is open to Veterans and Armed Forces personnel who have either been wounded, injured or sick (WIS) during, or as a result of their service within the military. One of the many opportunities they provide focuses on the positive aspects of sports recovery.
As part of this process, I attended an adaptive sports taster session in Nottingham. This turned out to be a revelation. Not only did it reintroduce me to rugby, the sport I loved; it also identified several other sports that I could enjoy, despite the limitations of my condition. This was a game-changer, as I started to think about challenging my condition rather than let it dictate what I could or couldn’t do. This ultimately led to me applying for the Invictus Games.
Although my initial application to participate in the 2018 Sydney Invictus Games was unsuccessful, I was subsequently selected to be part of the UK team for the 2019 Warrior Games, which is a multi-sport event for WIS Service personnel & veterans
organised by the United States Department of Defense. Chosen to compete in the wheelchair rugby, wheelchair basketball, cycling and sitting volleyball disciplines, this event was an amazing experience, where I got to compete against Service teams from the US Marines, Air Force, Navy, Army and Special Operations Command (SOCOM), in addition to National teams from Australia, Canada, Denmark and the Netherlands. Upon my return I applied for the 2020 Invictus Games and was very humbled and privileged to be selected. Unfortunately, these Games were subsequently postponed due to the current pandemic, however, they are now rescheduled to take place in April 2022.
It was through the Warrior Games that I became involved in another adapted sport, which is not part of the Invictus Games programme. This sport was Wheelchair Rugby League, which is effectively a wheelchair- based version of the mainstream ‘running game.’ It was developed by French rugby league player, coach and official, Wally Salvan in 2004. Unlike other wheelchair sports, people without disabilities can also compete
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I was formally admitted to DMRC Headley Court in 2013 for review and rehabilitation.