I had always been active through school, taking part in various sport teams including football, swimming, horse riding and later weight lifting in the gym. When I became disabled it was so sudden, with losing the feeling in my leg within hours that it was a huge shock. It was a very hard thing to mentally accept.

Taking part in sports again gave me back the confidence I lost after I ended up in my wheelchair and this year I decided to start a degree from a distance course, and it’s making me look into more sports such as wheelchair racing that I hope to do in the future.

My biggest personal achievement, was everything I achieved from October 2016 to July 2017 in Dressage with the RDA. With a lot of hard work I managed to come first in both my competitions in the South East Regional competitions. That competition was the first time I’d rode away from my normal surroundings and my third dressage competition, against riders who have been doing it for a number of years. This ensured I qualified for the National Championships, where I managed to pick up a rosette.

If I hadn’t returned to sports when I did in my illness, I couldn’t say I would be where I am today with my degree, confidence, mental health and even accepting my disabilities. At the end of the day, it’s not what I can’t do, but what I can and what I achieve that counts.