II always had big plans for my future. When I was 16, my head was full of ideas and my heart full of ambition. This was encouraged by my parents’ encouragement. Nothing is impossible if you try hard and don’t give up.
A year ago, I had been diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, which is extremely painful in my legs. The pain started when I was 11 years old and usually occurred after exercise. By the time I turned 13, I was in constant pain and could no longer walk on my own. I thought that if the doctors could figure out what was wrong, they would give me medication or surgery and I would get better. But after he was referred to Ormond Street Children’s Hospital and diagnosed, Great learned there was no cure and it was important to deal with it.
As a teenager, I faced this additional challenge as I was figuring out who I was and what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. I lived in fear, worrying about what my future would hold and whether I had the strength to keep fighting for my dreams.
My parents were excellent. The word “can’t” disappeared from my vocabulary. I started to feel more confident and looked forward with real optimism. It was all about what you could do, not what you couldn’t do.
One of them was archery. I chose this club around the time I was diagnosed to find a sport I could still participate in. Although I couldn’t hit the target to save my life, my club coaches gave me a lot of encouragement. “You have potential,” they told me. I put my energy and passion into it and worked hard.
But everything changed at sixth form morning assembly. It was led by our principal, Dr. Cummings. He talked about the invisible barriers that the girls in the room will face when we enter the workplace. She said women had to fight harder to get promotions and raises, and once they reached a certain level, promotions were slowed or even stopped. He called it the “glass ceiling,” and it was the first time I had heard that term. It felt like every drop of blood in my body had become cold.
I don’t remember what he said after that. I’m sure he was trying to set the tone and inspire us to fight it, but all I remember is being furious. Why should my gender determine my future?
I decided I wasn’t going to let it stop me. I just have to keep pushing forward, no matter how high the ceiling is.
The other pieces of the puzzle fell into place. I had never noticed a lack of female role models before, but now it was clear to me that there was a lack of female role models. I hope you can find a role model with a disability. The only person I could name was Stephen Hawking. Although he was an inspiration, his story didn’t really resonate with me. My fear was even greater because there was no one else like me. If others couldn’t break through the glass ceiling, why did I think I could? I worried for a long time whether people would actually see me as a person and the value I have to offer, or would they look first at my gender, my crutches and the wheelchair I sometimes use? I was there. I then decided that whenever a real or perceived barrier appeared, I would try to bulldoze it straight through.
My whole approach in archery was, “If I can shoot one arrow in the middle, why can’t I shoot all the arrows there?” So why can’t I join the able-bodied team? And why can’t I shoot as well as male athletes? I was on the British Paralympic archery team and became number 1 in the world. He won gold medals at the 2008 and 2012 Paralympic Games, becoming the first disabled athlete to win a gold medal representing Great Britain in an able-bodied competition. 2010 Commonwealth Games.
Once people realized the barriers they were facing, they started seeing them everywhere. Archery was no exception. Prize money in competitions was higher for men, and the number of women participating in the sport was not large. Many of my training partners are men, and if they were having a bad day, I would hear them say, “You’re shooting like a girl.”
When I retired from the sport, I decided to do something to empower girls. I give talks at schools and say that parents think that girls should not play sports because they need to focus on their studies. No boy has ever said that to me. This inspired her to write her latest book, Girls Rule: 50 Women Who Changed the World, which features scientists, spies, and pirate leaders. I know from experience that representation is important. We need a place where we can see women succeeding, thriving, failing, bouncing back, and pushing the limits of human endurance.
I will never forget that meeting and how I felt when I was told that it would be even harder to accomplish. It got me thinking, “This is a challenge, but what can I do?”
