I don't like being called an inspiration.
I am not.
I get called that for simply living my life with my disability.
I'm not doing anything special, I'm just kind of getting on with things, like most people. Just because some things are harder for me than they are for the average individual does not make me inspirational.
Not one single person on the planet does not have some problem to deal with, emotional, mental or physical.
Going through life does not make you in anyway an inspiration.
I have written a lot about the importance of having a goal, a dream. Something to aim for, aspire to.
Build your own future.
My nephew, Angus, inspires me to do this.
He is not an inspiration just for living everyday with his disability, he is inspiring because he uses his situation to the absolute best of his ability. He aims to show everybody not to accept their own limitations without putting up a fight.
This is a valuable lesson that we can all learn from. Just because the odds are against you there is never a reason to give up.
Like many disabled people, quality of life depends on how good the equipment you have is. Decent equipment costs money. Lots of it. This is why we must fundraise for Angus to keep fighting.
WCMX involves taking your wheelchair onto the skate park and riding it like a BMX.
In only a few months Angus had pushed himself from a child using a wheelchair who could not even remove the anti-tippers, to a child who is confident and determined to compete and succeed in a sport popping down kerbs and throwing himself down ramps.
It was a bumpy road to get there. Mountainous in fact. Angus was born with Spina Bifida Myelomeningocele. This is the most severe type of spina bifida and basically means that he was born with a hole in his back exposing the spinal cord.
This affects many parts of the body from walking to balance, from speech to continence and even vision.
This affects many parts of the body from walking to balance, from speech to continence and even vision.
Everyone with Spina Bifida is different.
It all began in June 2018, aged just 7, Angus, inspired by watching Youtube clips of Aaron Fotheringham and Lily Rice doing WCMX, decided he was fed up of not joining his brothers in the skate park.
No more sitting on the sidelines.
Angus decided to fundraise for a lightweight chair to help him reach his dreams...and keep up with his friends!!
T-Shirts were donated by Oliver signs and embroidery for his 8 mile roll down the Thames and a greeting arranged by the Lions club (links below).
Determined schoolboy hopes to become wheelchair moto cross star.
Angus’ videos on social media and resulting media coverage became widely seen and he had the opportunity to meet his heroe's, Aaron Fotheringham and Lily Rice. Photos below:
In October 2018 Angus received life changing funding from Princes Gate Trust for a bespoke WCMX chair from Roma.
In August 2019 Angus competed in division 5 of the WCMX World Championships in Cologne. He worked hard and gained 5th place!! Not bad for a boy who only started riding 11 months before! It has been a life changing experience for him. Angus is not only growing in spirit but physically too and needs a chair to continue.
Pictured below is Angus competing in the WCMX World Championships in Germany in 2019, aged just 9.
Featured in SHINE magazine, the publication for people living with Spina Bifida:
Angus has grown and now needs £7000 to continue and fund a new WCMX chair. Any support is appreciated.
A Facebook Fundraiser can be found using this link. Even a tiny donation adds up and anything you can give will be gratefully received. Even just sharing the links helps reach more people.
If you would like to donate via PayPal or bank transfer or wish to offer support in another way, you can email me at: emmabuckett@gmail.com
A raffle is being held on the 20th of November to help this cause and some of the kind prize contributors are:
Sincere thank you's for all support.
No comments:
Post a Comment