Swimming is a beautiful sport. It's therapeutic, great for your well-being and gives you a full body workout each time you get in the pool. However, for me, it's an extremely challenging task, but one that I am determined to complete.
Growing up, I'd always been an optimistic guy. I'd recently started my job as a motor mechanic and was looking forward to starting my life. Little did I know that everything would change in the blink of an eye.
When I was 16 years old, I experienced a life-changing motorbike accident which left me completely paralysed from the waist down. It was an extremely tough time in my life and one that I would never wish upon my worst enemy.
The easiest thing to do at the time would have been to give up. Living with a disability during the 80s was an almost impossible task, there were no ramps, no disabled access, and I just felt like I had nothing to live for.
I remained in hospital for a year and a half after being admitted, and when I eventually did return home, I weighed in at just six-and-a-half stone. One day, I was watching the London Marathon and I could see people taking part in wheelchairs. Something just clicked with me, it was inspiring to see and I knew from that day that I wanted to get into sport myself.
By the age of 18, I was heading across the world to compete as a wheelchair racer. I took part in marathons, world championships, the Commonwealth Games, and my proudest achievement: competing at the 1996 Paralympics in Atlanta. I became the fastest 100m wheelchair sprinter in Britain.
Following my retirement from the sport, I became a fitness instructor and returned to my home in Leicester. I always knew I wanted to make a difference to other people's lives, which is why I made the decision this year to take part in a challenge to help others who have been affected by a spinal cord injury.
Did you know that every eight hours someone is diagnosed with a spinal cord injury? There's no warning, no preventative and no cure. Luckily, we now have charities like Aspire, who create initiatives to raise money which provide grants, suitable housing and more to those living with a spinal cord injury.
This year, I've decided to take part in the Aspire Channel Swim. An annual fundraising challenge which encourages people from all across the country to swim the length of the English Channel (that's 22 miles!) over a 12 week period.
Being the only paraplegic in the UK to complete this year's challenge is an achievement in itself, and one that I am very proud of. Each day I go to the pool and tot up my lengths. It's excruciatingly draining, and after a few lengths I feel my fingers start to go numb and my energy levels dropping, however, knowing that I'm helping to make a difference definitely keeps me motivated. I am constantly in the gym building my upper body strength, so that my arms can carry the weight of my whole body once I'm in the pool.
Will it be a struggle? Most definitely. Will I complete it? Absolutely.
The Aspire Channel Swim may have already started, but it's not too late to get involved. If you're looking for a new challenge this year, sign up and join me in my pledge to help others, like myself, who have suffered from a Spinal Cord Injury at some point in their lives. (www.aspirechannelswim.co.uk)