Page 12 - KC NEwsletter No.2

Patricia Wright
(Continued from page 10)
London and attend a class in St. Thomas on Saturday mornings at the main dojo with Hanshi Gary Legacy himself!!
“I have physio therapy twice a week where we work on my shoulder and the right side of my body. Trying
to improve movement, strength, balance and control and prevent atrophy.
“New Beginnings, Acquired Brain Injury and Stroke Recovery Club is a day program I attend.
“There I participate in the fitness classes and I often use a machine called NuStep specifically created for individuals with paralysis or weakness from an ABI
or stroke. We get strapped into the NuStep, so our bodies get the entire work out and we are preventing atrophy.
“At home I work out as much as possible, working on my katas. I have no set work-out plan. Twenty-five sit-ups, 25 jumping jacks.
“If I find that I have a moment between United Way or between my researching for Para Karate athletes then I will work on katas, techniques or something to do with Karate.”
What one or two things do you do currently in your training that is key to your success?
“I remember that there is more to the belt, the gi then just karate then just practising within the dojo. It’s about how you hold yourself outside the dojo, how you present yourself to others.
“I see it, I want it, I get it. If/ when I see a roadblock, I abolish them.”
What is your biggest challenge, and what do you do to manage this challenge?
“Stopping people from petting or talking to Georgia, my seizure response dog. She is beautiful, she is adorable. Everyone loves her. But she is also a working dog, she has a job and needs to be there to watch for me 24/7.
“People do not realize/ understand that she needs to watch out for me even if she is sitting pretty or having a nap she is still watching out for me.
“Petting her is distracting her from her job, just as talking to her is distracting.”
What one or two things do you believe differentiates you from your contemporaries who have dropped out of karate?
“I have been given ample opportunities/reasons to drop out to give up. Lost my mother, my father, was hit by a car, was wheelchair bound.
“Yes I have taken a leave of absence but I have never dropped out. To me karate is not just a sport, it is a way of life. A way of my life.
“When I was not able to do it, that part of my life was missing. I cannot give up because part of my life will be missing again.”
Para-Karate Head Coach Heather Fidyk
“Keep in mind it’s the person that makes the belt... the belt does not make the person.”
What would be your ultimate achievement?
“To have a para athlete come to me and say that I have influenced them and they want to follow in my footsteps.
“I would want to help coach them and bring them into the world of Para-Karate
so they do not have to go through the struggles that I go through.”
How do you set your goals?
(Continued on page 14)
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