My four adaptive adventures!

My name is Anoushé, I was born missing my right arm below the elbow, had cancer 9 years ago and have several other health conditions from Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome to Inflammatory Bowel Disease. As part of my recovery from cancer, I started climbing as a hobby and 5 years ago, started competing. Climbing went from being a hobby to a way of life for me. 4 years ago, when I reached my 5 years with no evidence of disease, I decided to raise money for Shine Cancer Support by indoor climbing the height of Mt Everest. The challenge was difficult and took nearly 6 months but I made it!

This year, I'm heading towards my 10 years with no evidence of disease but the last 18 months have been very turbulent for my health. In February 2020, I fell quite sick (we now think it was Covid) and my recovery was slower than average.

As I was recovering and returning to climbing training, the first lockdown in the UK began and I managed to dislocate and tear the ligaments in my knee. I then got a blood clot in my other leg and spent quite a few months last year being investigated for a terminal cancer relapse.

The combination of being told to stay isolated at home, the deconditioning from not being able to walk due to my knees, the stress of trying to postpone and rearrange my marriage whilst also waiting for doctors to decide if I was terminally ill and finding out that I would also need major abdominal surgery created a perfect storm.

By the time lockdowns were easing in summer 2020 and the climbing walls were reopening, I was struggling to stand for any length of time and I was struggling to walk from room to room. I had lost an enormous amount of independence, confidence and I had become physically quite frail. We realised that I couldn't walk safely, I kept hurting myself trying to use crutches and so I became a wheelchair user.

I had my surgery in January 2021 and since then have been focussing really hard on getting myself independent again.

Looking to the future

As I head into my 10 years all clear from cancer, I have a lot to be thankful for and a lot of charities to thank for supporting me when times got very dark and also in helping me to bounce back.

This year, I want to push myself and raise as much as I can to say thank you to these charities and to my body for giving me everything she will give me.

I've also chosen these adaptive adventures because, realistically, I will probably never manage to do them in real life so I'm choosing to live vicariously by doing them in a way that I can. I guess, in a way, I've chosen to live my impossible.

Follow me on social media to see how I'm doing on the challenges. I'll be sharing the highs and the lows. I'll be filling mason jars with beans, rice and quinoa to show how I progress!

Instagram/twitter: @anoushehusain

Facebook: @anoushehusain1

website: anoushehusain.com