“Growing up was tough. I had lots of surgery. I had surgery on my head, my eyes, my arms… most of the top part of my body. It was challenging, as I was limited in what activities I could do, but I didn’t let that define who I was. I kept going.

My primary school was the Enable Ireland school in Sandymount. While there, I played hurling as an outfield player. I also started playing football with my local club. Around the same time, I went with a group from Enable Ireland to the gym. That was formative for me. It inspired and motivated me. I got a glimpse at what people are capable of. It also helped me realise that I wanted to motivate and inspire others.

When I was in my teens, I stopped playing sports and exercising for a while. After secondary school, I decided to study IT in college. I started a course, but I found it wasn’t for me.

My friends and family kept telling me I had the body of a gym person or a sports person – I don’t know how that happened! But I remembered how much I loved going to the Gym with the Sandymount group as a child. So, I decided to go back.

Returning to the gym inspired me to gain qualifications as a Personal Trainer and Fitness Instructor. But I didn’t stop there. I wanted to continue my studies, so I applied to study a Bachelor of Science course in Sports and Exercise Management at University College Dublin. That course was a different ball game. It was a lot more academic. I learnt about business, sports law and psychology. At the same time, I also faced some personal challenges outside of college, but I got through them.

I’m now proud to hold a Bachelor of Science degree from UCD. This was a huge achievement for me. I had some self-doubts along the way, but I was able to prove myself wrong. My teachers were very motivating and helped me realise my potential. At the end of the course, I earned a 2.1 from one of the top universities in the country. That blew me away – I couldn’t quite believe what I’d achieved!

In 2019, I found the Special Olympics. I was looking to play more sports, and I remembered a letter I had received from them when I was young. After visiting their website, I applied for three sports: floorball, football, and bowling. Playing these sports has been great for me. I love sports for both the competitive and social aspects. Sport has kept me motivated in life, as I want to win, but I also feel a part of something. If I didn’t have sports to play, I don’t know where I’d be. It has given me many opportunities in life.

Special Olympics Ireland asked me to be an athlete ambassador in 2021 and 2022. I was the face for two of their campaigns; ‘Can’t Stop Now’ and their annual Abseil Challenge. Through the Special Olympics, I was also put forward for two Sports Ireland campaigns. I was an ambassador for both their Men’s Health Week campaign and their ‘Changing the Game’ campaign. My photos were on posters, bus ads, and billboards. I also did some radio interviews. People would come up to me and say they loved the ad. I enjoyed the recognition. The campaigns were a great chance for me to advocate for inclusion and help spread this message.

When I was small, I didn’t see much inspiration out there for people with disabilities. I hope I’m showing that people are capable of anything.

Now, I’m working with Enable Ireland in Sandyford as an Activities Coordinator. My role is to develop activities for the guys in the service. Lots of the activities I organise are sports oriented. We do activities like Boccia, bean bag and hoop throwing. I’ve also arranged talks on sports and healthy eating. It’s great getting to meet the people who attend the service and give back to the community. I love putting myself in other people’s shoes and seeing how I can support them. That’s why I also volunteer with Barretstown in my spare time.

I feel I can relate to service owners because of my disability. My time at Enable Ireland Sandymount was so formative for me. So, working with the Sandyford service is something I’m especially proud of. It’s given me the confidence to teach others with a disability.

In the future, I’d like to have my own business – something I can give back to people with disabilities. I’d like to provide sports activities, help people be active and get out of the house. My social media pages have been a good start to doing this. Parents of children with disabilities in countries like America and Mexico have contacted me. They’ve asked for advice and thanked me for the content I’ve shared. That’s an amazing feeling.

I’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who has supported me along my journey so far – my family, teachers, colleagues, friends, and mentors. For anyone who’d like to follow a similar path to my own, the advice I’d give is to be yourself. Some people have looked at me differently, but I’ve never let that define who I am. Try not to be negative, let things go. Grab opportunities when they come and keep moving forward.”