"I was born with Sacral Agenesis and Spina Bifida. I grew up wearing AFOs to help me walk and would use crutches to help me get around when I was tired, I was in and out of wheelchairs due to surgeries on my legs and spine. I developed Peripheral Neuropathy at 16 that made me an incomplete quadriplegic, due to the deterioration of my condition I started using a wheelchair full time when I was 22. My first sport was Equestrian which I competed in at an Elite level since I was 12.
I competed in London Paralympics for Equestrian before being recruited to Wheelchair Basketball. Due to expenses and my deteriorating function, Equestrian was becoming harder and harder for me to stay competitive. Having an outlet to stay in elite sport was an amazing opportunity and I’m grateful for it everyday.
I love the speed and the intensity of the game, all the tactics and being able to play a team sport, which was something I couldn’t do as a kid without the sport being modified for me. It’s a great sport that anyone can play (I’ve even managed to drag my mum into a chair at one stage!) you can play it for fun or at an elite level, it’s a sport for everyone.
My other passion is Prosthetics and Orthotics, I grew up wearing Orthotics and decided when I was around 14 that that was what I wanted to do with my life. I am currently in my 2nd year of studying at the University of Sunshine Coast and hope to graduate early in 2020. I receive at sporting scholarship from USC as a high performance para-athlete. My dream would be to place top 5 at this year’s World Championships, and to return to the Paralympics at Tokyo 2020."