Team GB Paralympic skier Jane Sowerby reveals her tough journey
NC Jane Sowerby has conquered her disability to become part of the GB Paralympic Ski Team
Sport had always played a big part in my life. I grew up in Yorkshire and loved swimming and athletics. When I moved to London, I’d regularly go down to Cornwall with friends and go surfing and kayaking. In 2003, when I was 28, I was working as a music programmer for MTV. I got to see bands playing live all the time, which was great. One evening I visited a friend whose flat had an external stairway. I’d been there before and noted how dangerous it was because it was the only stairway in the street without a railing. When I was about to leave, I took a step back on the stairway, tripped and fell over the edge down a 13ft drop on to the concrete below.
NC Jane lot the ability to walk after a nasty accident
I remember saying, ‘I can’t feel my legs – do you think that’s a problem?’
I was knocked unconscious. I smacked my head so hard there was a lot of blood. The paramedics arrived quickly but when I regained consciousness I couldn’t feel my legs. I remember saying, ‘I can’t feel my legs – do you think that’s a problem?’ But my head was in so much pain I didn’t think about it. I was rushed to King’s College Hospital in Camberwell. My friends were frantic and as soon as she heard, my mum drove straight down from Yorkshire. As well as a serious head injury where the front part of my brain had swollen, I’d suffered damage to my spine. The consultant said it was unlikely I’d be able to walk again. It was so surreal. It felt like he was talking to someone else. I was in shock for two weeks.
I was transferred to Stoke Mandeville, one of the best spinal units in the country, and had two operations to stabilise my spine. They put metal rods through three of the vertebrae and did a bone graft, replacing the damaged part with bone from my hip. I was on bed rest for a month and that’s when it hit me. I couldn’t bear the thought of losing my independence and not being able to do any of the things I loved. My friends and family were amazing but nights seemed to drag on forever. I’d lie awake for hours and had some really dark times. I lost my sense of taste and smell due to the brain injury and everything tasted chemical – even chocolate. I’m a huge chocoholic and had to force myself to eat it. The staff were concerned when I didn’t want to eat and my weight dropped to seven stone.
NC Jane's ability to use her wheelchair increased quickly
It was daunting being in a wheelchair at first but the staff didn’t encourage self pity. They taught me how to be independent and once I was out of bed there was a real emphasis on sport. They got me doing archery, swimming, wheelchair basketball and table tennis. They all had the same positive mental attitude because they knew what was achievable. They pushed me and that was exactly what I needed. One day an ex-patient came in who’d been in a wheelchair for 10 years. I remember thinking, ‘10 years? Oh my God’. But she was amazing – stunning – so healthy and talking about all the sports she was doing. It got me thinking. After three months in hospital I was desperate to get my life back and I returned to work. But it was too soon. I struggled to get around. Many tube stations didn’t have lifts and although people were lovely, I found it hard asking for help.
My job involved going to see bands playing in tiny bars and clubs which weren’t always accessible and I became very self-conscious. I didn’t feel it was the right environment for me any more. My body was still repairing itself, which was tiring, and I was nervous being on my own in case I couldn’t get somewhere or fell out of my wheelchair and couldn’t get back in. I had some tough times and had to really fight not to get dragged down into feeling sad all the time. Initially I’d been against going away with people with disabilities because I wanted to pretend things were the same. But I knew I needed to change my approach. I had to push myself and do something completely out of my comfort zone to build up my confidence and make my everyday problems seem less daunting.
NC Jane's rehabilitation had a big focus on sport
So I signed up to go on a ski camp with a charity called Back Up at the National Sports Center For The Disabled in Colorado. That trip changed my life. There was a group of 10 wheelchair users. They were a lovely bunch of people and we were taught how to monoski. None of us had skied before and balance was a real issue. I spent the first couple of days falling over but I loved it. By day three it all started to click into place and I was hooked. To be able to leave my wheelchair and go flying down the mountain faster than most stand-up skiers was an amazing feeling. I had such an adrenalin rush, such a sense of freedom. It made me realise what I was still capable of and what was still out there. It was so tricky getting around the mountain.
I improved my wheelchair skills without realising and when I came back I felt like a different person. Everyone commented on how much happier I was. Kerbs and steep ramps no longer seemed daunting and I felt much more confident. I saved up and bought a sit-ski for £2,000 and the following year, I went back to Colorado and was invited to meet the British Disabled Ski Team in Austria. I was so blown away by the standard it inspired me to train even more. Amazingly I was asked to join the development team. In 2007 I gave up my job in London and spent the next three years training and racing with the British team in Europe – one of the best experiences of my life. We’d be on the slopes at 7am, ski all day, then train in the gym until 8pm or 9pm.
NC Jane was in shock for two weeks after receiving news of her disability
It was full-on and not for the faint-hearted – I broke my collarbone three times and knocked my front teeth out. It’s also tough mentally, especially when you’re at the start gate and the skier in front has had a bad accident. You have to keep your focus. The day I broke my collarbone for the third time I found out I’d been selected to race for Britain at the Winter Paralympics in Vancouver in 2010, which had been my goal. I was gutted and thought my dream was over. I had to jump through hoops to prove I was fit enough to go – and luckily I squeezed through. The Paralympics was absolutely amazing.