The training is over, the preparation complete and tonight (Wed 28th) the curtain rises on the Paris Paralympics – an extravaganza of competition where more than 4,000 para-athletes from around the world compete in 22 sports over 11 days.
Records will be broken and legends made, but perhaps more importantly the achievements of the athletes will be a graphic demonstration that living with disability, or after injury, can be successful and fulfilling – and in some cases world-beating.
And to mark the occasion, the Queen Elizabeth National Spinal Injuries Unit (QENSIU) at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is holding its own ‘Paralympics’ today. The event will see teams of patients compete in a range of sports, with the day culminating in a quiz and medal ceremony.
The sports have been chosen to exercise patients’ upper and lower limbs and will include Boccia, foam javelin throwing, weight lifting, golf, blow darts and nerf gun shooting.
Louise Cownie, Occupational Therapy Team Lead at QENSIU, is one of the staff members who have organised the event. She said: “This used to be a regular event to coincide with the start of the Paralympics, so it’s great to see it back after eight years, following an enforced break due to COVID.
“The Unit’s motto is ‘there is life after injury’, and we hope our event will inspire our patients to embrace their recovery and live life to the full.
“A few of our former patients have gone on to be Paralympians – in fact, three of them will be competing in Paris this year – so that’s tangible proof that spinal injury need not be the end of a person’s dreams.
“Indeed, some of our patients have gone on to achieve more in their lives than they would ever have dreamed before their injury.”
Today’s proceedings will be supported by a range of organisations who work closely with QENSIU, including spinal injuries charities Spinal Injuries Scotland, Aspire and Back Up, wheelchair sports charity Wheelpower, Horatio’s Garden and Digby Brown Solicitors who will kindly be supplying the medals for the event.
QENSIU – part of the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital campus – provides care and rehabilitation for patients from across Scotland who have experienced spinal injury. Some of the patients are among the most seriously hurt in the country, and the care provided by QENSIU sometimes lasts months, and even years.
Dr Mariel Purcell, Consultant in Spinal Injuries at the Unit, said: “The process of rehabilitation patients undertake is designed to equip them with the ability and confidence to live successfully when they leave hospital.
“Physical activity, such as sports, is critical to this care, and we hope our Paralympics event will be a fun, rewarding way to promote teamwork, inspire confidence and show our patients just how much they can achieve.
“We look forward to watching the competition – and hopefully even taking part – and while there will be a medal ceremony at the end to honour the winning teams, we hope everyone who takes part will be able to celebrate their achievements, both today and throughout their rehabilitation journey.”
