I was medically discharged from the Royal Air Force in 2014 with a spinal injury and had a really bad transition. I found sport again in 2016 taking up Para Ice Hockey with the view to competing in the Invictus games in Toronto in 2017 but Para Ice Hockey never made the games. It was then that I decided that I would like to try to Sydney in 2018 competing in wheelchair racing and managed to borrow a racing chair to train with. I have been lucky enough to have been selected as part of the 72 UK Team but have been struggling as the racing chair is too big for me which is causing injury.
The Shrapnel family kindly offered to put down a deposit to be able to purchase my own racing chair so that it could be ordered from America. Being able to have the opportunity to be able to have my own custom chair means that I will no longer cause myself injury when training or competing and be able to take on more challenges to push myself.
I am extremely grateful to Shrapnel for their kindness and support of my recovery and now every time I train or race they will be with me.
Do you know someone that has a similar story and might need help? Tell them about Shrapnel.
I am Daniel Bingley.
After being injured I turned to sport and basketball was one of the sports I tried and fell in love with but I could not afford a chair to play.
I went to a great charity, Shrapnel, and with their help I got my chair and from then I have learned to live again and I have been selected for the 2018 Invictus Games.
Thank you so much to the charity for helping me on my journey.
I recently received a significant level of assistance from shrapnel. My level of independence has been increased beyond expectations. I also appreciate the level of compassion and discretion awarded to me during the brief application process. Thank you to you all.
I want to thank Shrapnel, without them I think that my life would be very different. It took a long time for me to realise that starting to use a chair was not a step backwards, but that it would help me to do more of the things that I wanted to do.
Because of my injuries, I am very limited as to how far I can walk, so having a chair to get around has made made a huge difference in how far I can go
and how much I can get done before I am stopped by pain and fatigue. Before of Shrapnel I wasn't able to source the wheelchair that best fitterd my needs, which was well out of reach financially. Now that I have my chair I am able to go to more traning sessions and compete in more archery competitions than would have been possible without Shrapnel's assistance.
Photo © Sarah-Marie Flint 2016
