EP.051: Darren Edwards - Disabled Adventurer pushing the boundaries (Kayaking Lands End to John O'Groats)
On 6th August 2016, Darren Edward's life changed forever. Whilst rock climbing in North Wales, he was involved in a severe fall that would leave him with a life-changing injury. With a rock section unexpectedly shifting below his feet, he was sent tumbling uncontrollably toward his climbing partner below. The damage he sustained would leave him instantly paralysed from the chest down with a severe spinal cord injury. Yet, as he was prepared for aerial extraction by the Mountain Rescue, he made an essential and life-changing commitment to himself. He wouldn't be beaten.
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He has pushed himself at each stage of his rehabilitation to come back stronger and prove what can be achieved by someone with a Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) and disability. Adventure has very much been at the heart of his recovery.
Since first dreaming of learning to kayak as a way in which he could continue to explore the great outdoors, he has gone on to train as part of Great Britain's Paracanoe Team, to pioneer adaptive freediving in the UK, and in 2021, to become the first disabled person to kayak from Land's End in Cornwall to John O' Groats in Scotland – a distance of over 1,400 kilometres.
He has refused to let the word disability define who he is as a person and is committed to helping challenge the perception of what those with a disability can achieve.
On the podcast, we talk about how the last five years have impacted his life and some of the amazing things to come out of it. Don't Forget to Subscribe and Review the Podcast if you have enjoyed it so far. A simple review goes a long way to help the podcast grow and your support means everything.
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