Dreams Do Come True

Today was a momentous day in my life probably right up there with the other important dates in my life such as my birth, my wedding and my diagnosis!

Today it was officially announced that I had made the 2012 Australian Paralympic Team to compete in Cycling at the London Paralympics in September.

Now for those of you that don't know a lot about my history I started my sporting career as a swimmer in Canada at the age of 10 and by 15 was swimming at a national level. My goal was always the 1980 Olympics in Moscow. Now whether I would have made it to them or not I would never find out because Canada along with the rest of most of the western world boycotted them...Politics got in the way! At this point I was 18 and back then you were basically washed up as a swimmer over the age of 20, so even though I kept swimming it was more because it was a part of me and the real world of becoming an adult in the working world took over. Then my life changing diagnosis of MS! But life can be funny sometimes. I would never go back and change that diagnosis because it had made me who I am and given me opportunities that I would never have had otherwise. One of those opportunities was to take up the sport of rowing with a view to representing Australia in Beijing at the 2008 Paralympics. Unfortunately our crew missed out on a spot by 0.8 of a second.

At that point I was 47 and figured that this dream of mine was definitely over. But I continued to row, taking it a day at a time which turned into a month at a time, the a year at a time. Then circumstances within the rowing community stopped our crew in its tracks, the powers that be weren't interested in supporting our crew, with that I turned to cycling. I had purchased a trike for cross training for my rowing and found that I was pretty good at riding. I was fortunate enough to be included in the Australian team for the World Championships last year with a hope to making the team for London this year.

I realized that if I wanted to make the team I had to go beyond merely being curious about how it would be to live my dream! I would have to commit completely in order to make it happen. I had to do more than just talk about what I wanted to do or what I planned to do. I had to actually be persistent and do those things that needed to be done. I always talk about when one door closes another one opens, but remember that it won't just open on its own, you actually have to look for it and jump through.

So finally after 32 years since that first goal disappeared and 40 years of training, through 2 countries and 3 sports, that goal I had as a 10 year old in Canada of representing my country on the biggest sporting stage in the world is coming true! So believe me if you have a goal or dream, give it the power of focused attention and committed, disciplined effort because only you can make it come true. I have a wonderful life full of fabulous and supportive family and friends have been with me every step of the way and I hope that they will share in this ultimate dream with me.

 Look out London I'm on my way and after 32 years nothing can stop me now!