As a kid I used to dream about being someone like linford christie. I remember the week it was announced that London where holding the 2012 games, going in to school saying Ill be there one day on the track running like my life depended on it! I was always the kid that came last in every sports day and was by no means going to break a world record in the 100 meters. But you know what that didn't matter to me, because I finished! One of the things I have not stopped talking about since I began trying to get a space is the London Marathon. Looking back I can still remember sitting watching hours of the race day and seeing hundreds of people run through the streets of London. Then in the week that followed hearing the stories of those very people and those who where still going days later! I guess from around that time, I made it my goal to one day be one of those people to cross the line running or slowly dragging myself with what energy I had left. I am proud to that on April 26th I will be running for Children with Cancer UK. Although I was lucky to have had a non cancerous brain tumor. There are hundreds of cancers and tumors that effect people each and every day! When looking for a space I wanted to run to support the young people that are effected by cancer each year, because if anyone inspires me its the young people who are fighting the disease every moment of the day! I thought I had gone mad when me and my good friend decided we would run the marathon and still do months later writing this, I know im not going to finish in anytime under 5 hours ( unless I get superpowers between now and then ) But that is not what I want, to get from running the Marathon. I think to even cross the finish is an achievement for anyone I mean 26 miles is a long way! 3 years ago my life was in a very different situation, Non of what has happened has not taken me back, surprised me or knocked me flat on my face on more than one occasion. But sometimes being knocked flat on your face makes you more determined to reach for the sky. After about 30 minutes of running my heart feels like it is punching itself to get out of running. Sometimes the only thing you are thinking about is wow I want to give up. But like anything the reason you started should be the reason why you don't give up! Living with a disability I do constantly think and question my own ability. And looking at the Race map for the marathon my first thoughts where.... How does anyone to run that , especially me? someone who unlike a few years ago would fall over trying to ride a bike for more than 3 minutes. Then I just told myself to shut up, because this is your time to say disability or not you are doing OK and it will all be OK. At uni we have been asked to do an assignment around an aspect of disability, the area im looking at is identity because until I sat down to think, which doesn't happen often. It crossed my mind that when people ask me to say who I am one of the first things I say is im disabled, partly by force of habit. But I also think its to eliminate the elephant in the room and people scared to ask why I have a fair few scars and! part of me wants to say ' yeah I have a brain tumour' but I think as soon as you say that you put it in someones mind oh well he can';t do that and granted at school I was not sporty or the coolest. But as I have only learnt in the last few years is that all we can be is what we have in that moment in time nothing less or more. So my advice to anyone this year is do something you know you can do but maybe others don't and prove them wrong... because as someone said to me its only a regret if you miss the opportunity to do something for you for the view of others. I apologies for my really bad spelling as normal!! but I just want to leave you with this quote I found.... "Unlike a drop of water which loses its identity when it joins the ocean, man does not lose his being in the society in which he lives. Man's life is independent. He is born not for the development of the society alone, but for the development of his self." - B. R. Ambedkar- PEACE & LOVE Chandy
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AuthorBrain tumour survivor. Ambassador, campaigner and co-founder of #IFightFor Archives
January 2019
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