2005, this is where my life started to become a little more complex than most, not

long after my 40th birthday.

After many, many years of living a very contented, normal life (bar the sad loss of my

older brother Kevin to a brain tumour in 1979), in 2005, I myself started to have some

very serious medical issues. In June I had no option but to undergo very risky spinal

surgery to my neck; where without the surgery I would have become a tetra pelagic

without question. So the C4 and C5 discs, which were strangling my spinal cord, were

removed from my spine and were replaced with bone from my hip to remove the risk

of paralysis from the neck down.

Now that time was shocking and frightening enough for my family and I, but

thankfully it went brilliantly, so life was normal again, or so I thought…

In May 2008, my life in the general scheme of things changed beyond belief - forever

if you like, in which the world became a dark and very scary place, with me feeling

very strange physically and even more so mentally. I felt that I was losing my

intelligence let alone the chronic head pain, nausea, vision, and hearing problems I

was having. All of which, I may add, my GP scoffed off as STRESS. Even with his

knowledge that I had previously lost a brother to a brain tumour! So I paid for my

own MRI scans and on the results of those I was admitted immediately for surgery to

de-bulk the best part of two malignant brain tumours the size of tangerines. Now this

surgery took place on June 2nd 2008 - you remember dates big time when things like

this happen! Anyhow, once I gathered my emotions, dug deep and focussed, I made a

decision in hospital the night before my surgery, which was either to lie down and die

or stand up in my minds eye and fight like hell… I chose the latter! So just 3 days

after major brain surgery I strode out of hospital to live and get on with life whether

my time was short or long.

But even here another unexpected problem raised its head, this being an extremely

rare side effect of brain cancer, costing me a limb. My leg started going cold in early

August 2008 and then after many attempts to save the limb, it had to be amputated

below the knee, surgery conducted on the 6th October 2008… Which resulted in me

catching MRSA!

Now this is where the cycling comes in and me wanting to defy the odds. So whilst

waiting for a prosthetic limb and the MRSA to clear, I ordered myself a Dawes

Horizon with the emphasis on the Horizon... new ones! So on the first week of April

2009, I got on my bike aiming for new Horizons - gingerly at first, but me trying to

show the people who were writing me off that they were wrong and on a personal

level to keep me fighting fit.

As time went by and my strength built up, it dawned on me that I was falling in love

with riding my bike and realised the benefits it was giving myself and my family. As

the months went by, and December 2009 was nearly over, I had covered roughly 800

miles on the Dawes. With the beginning of 2010 a treat was in store, in which I

was becoming the proud owner of a Giant Defy 3, again emphasis on the DEFY... Me

defying the medical odds big time. I started to gather a group of fellow cyclists etc

and entered the odd event - during that time people were saying that I was quick, and

out cycling able bodied riders. One event of 57 miles we were a team of 17, 16 being

able bodied riders doing an event over the Brecon Beacons and me being the only

disabled rider. I came second out of the 17 in a time of just over 4 hours. From that

ride I perused time trials at the Newport Velodrome and now have a C4 disabled

classification with British Cycling for all events in the UK - mainly being road races.

In total for 2010, I have cycled well in excess of 2000 miles, most of which are being

done on and around the hills of the Brecon beacons.

In Feb 2011, Cube bikes join the scene in which my GTC Pro came into my

possession via the first class service given to me by Tredz in Swansea. They are all

superb at their job, decent folk giving good honest advice and support. As to my GTC

Pro, I love every minute of riding her in the Beacons... It is a fantastic bike that just

wants to keep going and going.

More recently I have had a visit from a film crew from Bristol ( KPC Media ) who are

doing some type of film for the Deloitte Paralympics / British cycling websites and

facebook. I was one of the chosen few for this, but the best part of all, I was riding my

Cube for the filming and then giving my story in a camera interview, trying to inspire

anyone out there who has suffered or is suffering with medical issues, that you can

overcome and defy the odds and hopefully making them to believe in themselves.