How the Paralympics have inspired me.
Some of you will know Helen, who has been interning with us again this summer. Here she talks about how she has been inspired by the achievements of Paralympians and how their stories resonate with her own of the challenges of living with a long-term medical condition.
I’d like to share two Paralympic athletes who inspire me. Having lived with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome myself since the age of 18, I would like to share two incredible Paralympic athletes with POTS.
POTS is an autonomic nervous system disorder which can cause palpitations, lightheadedness, fatigue, sweating, nausea, fainting and headaches. Each of these symptoms result from an increase in heart rate when transitioning from lying or sitting to standing.
Living with dysautonomia and POTS can make everyday life really challenging, and this is what makes the accomplishments of these two athletes even more admirable.
Hannah Aspden
Hannah Aspden is a Paralympic swimmer from the United States of America. Swimming came naturally to Hannah from a young age, and she was the youngest Team USA swimmer to win a medal in either the Olympic or Paralympic Games in Rio 2016. She started swimming competitively at the age of eight in Raleigh, North Carolina. In 2014, she made it onto her first national team at the age of 13. She has since competed in several international competitions including the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games and the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games. She is also competing in the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games.
Aspden was born with a congenital hip disarticulation, and she has no left leg. This means she competes in the S9 classification designed for athletes with limb loss or severe weakness in one leg. Also, in 2015 she developed Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome and Dysautonomia at the age of 16 after having a respiratory virus. Aspden has continued to persevere over time and lifestyle adaptations such as medication, exercise and increased salt and fluid intake have helped to improve her symptoms.
Hannah has had some phenomenal achievements during her swimming career including two gold medals and two bronze medals at the Paralympics.
I find Hannah’s story really inspiring because I know how difficult it can be to be active with POTS. An article by US Para Swimming sheds light on how, in the lead up to the Rio Paralympics, Aspden was so tired that she struggled to even make it up the stairs to her room at times. However, she persevered and worked with doctors to find a treatment plan to manage her symptoms. I have also had times with POTS where it has felt hard to walk longer than 5-10 minutes and anything as much as a day out to the Christmas markets or a shopping trip has felt impossible. However, with time I have learnt ways to pace my energy and to still do things that I enjoy. Even if that means renting a wheelchair for the day to go to the zoo with friends or to go to the shopping centre. Aspden’s successes shed light on how difficult living with an invisible disability can be, but how important it is to share your experiences and educate others on different forms of disability. For me, one of the hardest things about POTS can be that people often do not understand that I live with a disability because I look perfectly healthy (most of the time). However, I have been amazed by the support I have received from those around me when I have shared my experiences with POTS, and I am truly appreciative of the way that people look out for me.
Taylor Winnett
Taylor Winnett is a Paralympic swimmer who is also from the United States of America. She is competing in her first Paralympic Games in Paris 2024. She began swimming at the age of four and used to participate in triathlons.
In her late teens, Winnett was diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome. Prior to these diagnoses, Taylor had flipped over in a jet ski in 2016 and herniated two discs in her spine. Taylor competes in the S10, SM10, and SB9 classifications, which tend to include swimmers with minimal weakness in their legs, part of a leg missing below the knee or missing feet, or issues with their hips.
Winnett has proven just how resilient she is with some incredible accomplishments such as winning three gold medals and four silver medals at the 2023 Parapan American Games and qualifying for the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris.
Something that I admire about Taylor Winnett is how open she is about her disability on social media whilst also reflecting on the many positives in her life. I often wish that more people were knowledgeable about POTS, so I am grateful for the people out there who can shed light on invisible illnesses such as POTS and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. I also appreciate the way that Taylor shares different aspects of living with a disability such as the feelings associated with using mobility aids. The first few times that I used a wheelchair on days out, I remember feeling quite self-conscious. I was lucky to have supportive people around me who understood that using a wheelchair for the day was just an adjustment that I needed to enjoy a day out. Taylor has shared her experiences of using mobility aids such as electric wheelchairs on a day out to a theme park on her social media and she has several posts in which she advocates for mobility aids and encourages people to not feel discouraged about using an aid if it will help them.
