I was always 'different' as a kid and didn't feel pain like normal children.  From bolts through my shoulder to broken bones, I pushed harder than average and then at 12 years old  I injured my right hand.  Rather than getting better over time, the pain got worse and I was diagnosed Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) when I was 13 .  

 

I've been lucky and my CRPS didn't stop me...it pumped me full of adrenaline, took away my fear and effectively meant I couldn't feel pain (if you're in a swimming pool and already wet, you don't feel more wet if someone splashes you), As I grew older I realised this meant I could push myself harder and further (often than I should have done) often only stopping when I literally broke.

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Fast forward to the start of lockdown 1 in 2020...I tried to put my socks on and realised I couldn't lift my foot.  A trip to A&E, 2 hour MRI and a nerve conduction test later thy concluded I was broken (or more accurately I had perineal nerve palsy as the cause of the foot drop). 

 

As an aside, they also discovered I had 6 bulging discs and multi-level foraminal stenosis.

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18 months later I took my daughters to Volume 1 in East Grinstead and met Be Fuller (GB Paraclimbing Coach) who took an interest in me, agreeing to train me.  A couple of month later, I competed in the British Paraclimbing Championships and my journey into competitive paraclimbing began...