Lorna’s son, Ed, is a powerchair football fanatic and has been competing in competitions since he was 11. Now 30, he has a wealth of trophies to show for his talent. Lorna reflects on his ambition and how having a passion has given him a purpose.
“My son has played wheelchair football for England all around the world – find your child’s passion and they’ll be unstoppable.”
Ed is a reasonably a quiet man, but powerchair football has allowed him to make friends all over the country. Having competed and won so many matches, he is known in our town as the ‘silent assassin’. Finding Ed’s passion and supporting him to achieve his goals has been amazing for his mental wellbeing.
Growing up on a farm
Ed was always an active child. We live on a farm where he grew up with suckled cows, sheep, horses and other animals. Ed always wanted to be in the tractors with his dad and loved life on the farm playing with his older sister. They did trampolining and swimming lessons together as children, which he enjoyed, but we noticed he couldn’t do these very well.
Ed was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy when he was eight and could no longer walk by the time he was 12.
“This was a really hard decline for him, and us as parents, to accept. But finding powerchair football changed all that.”
Powerchair football has given him some big wins
Ed started playing powerchair football for Northern Thunder PFC and played in the very first league, which featured teams from all over England. He has won lots of trophies with the team, including Premier League winners several times and WFA Cup winners three times.
“His biggest win to date is Europe team winners representing England.”
Ed has been on the England team since he was 12 years old and has played in four World Cups, two of which he played in the finals. Ed now plays for Teeside PFC who are currently fourth in the Premier League.
He’s a huge supporter of Newcastle United and used to go to all the matches, although he now watches them on TV as he gets too cold. He enjoys playing on his PS5 to continue his long-term hobbies of football and farming. He also regularly meets up with friends to go for meals, to the cinema and bowling.
Finding Ed’s hobby was the best thing that could have happened
“My biggest piece of advice to parents who have young children with a muscle wasting condition is to find something they enjoy doing and nurture that passion.”
Try to challenge them to do as much as they can for themselves for as long as they can. Ed is 30 years old, and I still push for him to do things for himself if he can.
Don’t be afraid of meeting others in the community. I remember being asked to take Ed to physio with an older boy who had Duchenne. I said no so many times as I was scared to meet someone in a wheelchair with Duchenne knowing Ed would be like him one day. But there was nothing to fear; they’re just young lads using wheelchairs to get around and maintain their independence. You learn so much from other people like how to get support and accessible locations to explore as a family.
Bringing up children with Duchenne isn’t easy, but there’s always a way around obstacles to ensure we aren’t beaten. When Ed was diagnosed, we were told he’d be lucky to make his 18th birthday. Yet here he is, 30 years old and a well-known star in the powerchair football community all over the world.
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