There will be a ‘Magnificent Seven’ Welsh athletes taking part in the Invictus Games in Australia this week and Cardiff Army veteran Mark Perkins has been handed the honour of captaining the 72-strong British team.
Prince Harry formally opened the Games in Sydney on Saturday and now it is over to the athletes to amaze the sporting world with their performances. For the former Royal Signals Corporal, Perkins, it will be a chance to prove there is still life and success after injury.
Perkins received a medical discharge from the Army in 2005 after surviving an incident involving his vehicle five years earlier that claimed the lives of two of his colleagues. It left him with physical and psychological wounds.
Now working as a civil servant rehabilitating injured soldiers, he found it difficult to follow his own advice until the Invictus Games came along. He is competing in swimming and cycling in Sydney at what will be his second Invictus Games.
“Invictus has given me focus to look after my injuries and physical wellbeing and, I guess, most importantly, myself in general. After four years of intensive rehab, I just lost my way, was putting on weight, became more de-conditioned and lacked motivation,” admitted Perkins, who has been supported by the Help for Heroes Sports Recovery team.
“I’ve struggled previously to practice what I preach until last year, when I set myself a goal to get selected for the 2017 Invictus Games. Now, having accomplished this first goal, I’ve become inspired to continue and hopefully offer support to other injured veterans to follow this path.”
Perkins has been joined by his wife Jo, three-year-old daughter Sienna and 12-week-old son Rory, Down Under. It goes without saying they are fiercely proud of having the British Invictus Games captain in their family.
“For many years I’ve been struggling with pain and survival guilt and have previously just put my head in the sand. The Invictus Games has not only assisted my pain by making me healthier and stronger, but has also returned my previous drive,” he added.
“Being part of the Invictus Games will only continue to drive me in my recovery. There are few moments in one’s life when an event occurs that truly transforms your life, but the Invictus Games is it for me.
“They are all about empowerment, they empower us all to fight the chains of physical disability, to fight the intangible burden of mental illness and they empower us to focus on being the best we can be despite the scars that we all now wear.
“At the games our scars are like Medals that we can proudly display, rather than hide in shame or embarrassment. Invictus allows us to be judged on what we can achieve, rather than what we can’t.
“To simply be selected for Team UK was an amazing achievement. To then be further selected as the captain, and to represent these incredibly brave men and women, is extremely humbling and a huge privilege.
“This is my second Invictus, I did Toronto last year. It came with lots of benefits, such as healthier living, feeling fitter and stronger, but then it also came with some unexpected emotions.
“I was a very lucky individual to survive my injury as two people next to me didn’t. I found that I thought about them a lot more whilst training, I was competing for myself and competing for those who can’t.
“I re-engaged with the families during my Invictus journey last year. I discussed it with them and I was so shocked how their lives have changed since that incident.
“It is just that pebble in the water, that splash, the injury, that date, 23 August, 2000, but it’s the ripples that have a massive knock-on effect for my family, my life. My career ended, but it also affected other families close by.
“I didn’t really expect to experience such an impact by getting involved with Invictus. I thought I was going along to celebrate a bit of sport, yet all these other emotions came out and it side-swiped me a little bit.
“You sign up to the military thinking ‘Queen and Country’. I played sport at a good level all through my youth, and I wanted to extend that into a military environment as well, which I did. I played a lot of rugby and I loved every minute of it.
“Then you get to go away on a tour of duty, you earn a little bit of extra money and there’s the bonding, the camaraderie, and you think the worst thing your parents have to prepare for is you not coming home.
“That’s unthinkable, but no-one’s really thought about you coming home injured. No-one’s prepared for it, nobody knows what to do, and even the people at work don’t have all the answers because they haven’t been injured and don’t have their experiences to draw on to help.
“So, the answers aren’t there. People just muddle through and try and help you as much as they can, but you’ve lost your career, your sporting life, your social groups of friends, everything, overnight.
“My incident was 18-years-ago and there’s not a period that goes by without me thinking about it and how it has changed my life. I loved the Army and I would have served my 22 years
“Luckily for me, in my new life, I found a wife, which is amazing, and that’s the best thing which has come out of me changing my job role. Now I have a new family, so things are great, but even now I think about how much I’m missing the Army.
“The reason I’m doing Invictus is for my family. I want my daughter to see me doing it, with the Union Jack. It’s the silliest thing, but it’s huge, it’s life-changing.”
The six other Team GB representatives travelling to Sydney from Wales are:
Michael Matthews – Cardiff
Army veteran Michael Matthews, 31, was medically discharged in May 2015. The former Lance Corporal from Cardiff is using the 2018 Invictus Games to help him regain his purpose and sense of camaraderie. “Competing will re-establish a sense of belonging to a brotherhood and evoke the feeling of team spirit in which I had in the army prior to my injuries.” Since starting training for the Games, Michael has fully committed himself to recovery, and has started a wheelchair rugby club that he trains with on a weekly basis. Pride is also high on the list of priorities for Sydney. “I want the feeling that I am serving for my country once more, but in a sport that has helped my recovery. It will give me a great sense of pride to once again put on a uniform with a union jack and represent my country – and to inspire a generation to show what they think is impossible is actually possible.”
Lee Matthews – Caldicot
Former Airtrooper Lee Matthews grew up in Caldicot. The 29-year-old Army veteran has had a difficult year, but with the Invictus Games, he has been able to see that he can achieve again no matter how small his steps are. “The past year has been the hardest time of my life in terms of recovery. The deterioration of both my physical condition and my mental health resulted in my life tumbling out of control. I became hopeless, frustrated and angry.” While Sydney is his ultimate destination, Lee knows that Invictus is about the whole journey, not just the two-week-long Games in October: “The Invictus Games has helped me already. Although training camps have proved very challenging and have caused a lot of anxiety, the process has already helped me start to build confidence again and push back against my mental health. “I can’t wait to feel a part of something once again and be a part of a team, encouraging my teammates and my military family around me. To see them achieve and make them proud is just as important to me as giving back to those who have supported me. I have socialised, laughed, smiled and become more of myself than I could have ever imagined again.”
Alexandra McClellan – Gwynedd
Army veteran Alexandra McClellan suffered a stroke and was discharged in 2014. The former Sergeant, from Ffynnon Gynydd, credits Invictus training camps with reigniting her desire to succeed and her passion for sport. “Since the day my stroke happened I have never fitted anyone’s ‘criteria’. Over time I have become quite lonely, insular and disconnected with everyday emotion and motivation.” Alexandra, 39, has worked hard to overcome the pressures of starting training again, but has thrived in the inclusive atmosphere of the Invictus Games. “Sitting on that rowing machine at an Invictus training camp I spent the first day trying not to cry as it was so overwhelming. But, I felt passion and such a desire to push myself and beat my own goals that has been missing for so long. The Invictus environment is one where you feel everyone is included – it feels liberating. “I am learning how to build up my physical strength and am paying attention to how the camps make me feel mentally strong to help achieve the training. I aim to continue focusing on a challenge in the hope that I feel and look more like the old me again.”
Ryan Hewitt – Llandudno
Ryan Hewitt served in the British Army and was injured in 2010: “Following my injury I spent over three and a half years at DMRC Headley Court undergoing rehabilitation for injuries sustained on operations. As part of my recovery I participated in the Help for Heroes Portsmouth to Paris Bike Ride 2011, the Wounded Warrior Project Bike Ride USA 2011, and I attempted Team True Spirit Iron Man Event 2011 (Bolton). At that stage I felt my recovery was going well.” However, when the 26-year-old was medically discharged in 2013, he: “Became isolated, disengaged and unable to function normally. I stopped using my Prosthetic Legs and became wheelchair bound.” After attending an adaptive sports taster day and watching the 2016 Invictus Games in Orlando, Ryan decided to join a local wheelchair basketball team: “This has given me confidence drive and passion – it has improved my overall mental health and well-being. I have been training to take part in the Invictus Games for nearly two years and having the ability to attend these games really will help my ongoing recovery.”
Jeff Robinson – Llantwit Major
Former Flight Sergeant Jeff Robinson, 49, lives in Llantwit Major in the Vale of Glamorgan. He was discharged from the RAF in 2010. “During my time serving I sustained a number of serious injuries. Each time, it took longer and more support to recover. Invictus Games 2018 gives me that continued support at every training session and match played; with the opportunity to not only help me in my recovery, but now to also be able to assist and mentor others who are just starting out on their recovery journey. I continue to use sport and physical activity as a major tool in my recovery. I also train on a weekly basis with the Ospreys Wheelchair Rugby Club. Invictus has given me the confidence to return to work and study, having recently completed a NEBOSH course.”
Steve Sebburn – Brecon
Doctors told Army veteran Steve ‘Seb’ Sebburn that he would never run or cycle again as a result of back and brain injuries. But he refused to accept that diagnosis and proved them wrong when he competed at the Invictus Games 2017. The former Lance Corporal said competing at the Games gives him strength, focus and a sense of pride. He hopes it can inspire him to be fulfilled in his civilian job. “To see my family look at me in the team kit with such pride as they did when I wore the uniform just inspires me to try again. I have gained so much from the whole process and I know I will keep growing as a person, a veteran, a husband and a father through all Help for Heroes have invested in my family and I.”
Team GB at the Invictus Games
The team of 72 competitors selected to represent the UK at the Invictus Games Sydney 2018 is made up of wounded, injured and sick (WIS) serving military personnel and veterans.
More hopefuls than ever before, 451 WIS military personnel and veterans, trialled 11 sports for one of the 72 places available on Team UK. The trials were attended by HRH Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, in one of their last joint appearances before the Royal Wedding.
The rigorous selection process for Team UK was based on the benefit the Invictus Games will give an individual as part of their recovery, combined with performance and commitment to training.
The team will compete in 11 sports: Athletics; Archery; Wheelchair Basketball; Cycling; Powerlifting; Indoor Rowing; Wheelchair Rugby; Swimming, Sitting Volleyball, Wheelchair Tennis and a new sport for 2018, Sailing.
For more information see: https://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/get-support/how-to-access-our-services/recovery-in-wales/ call 01443 808 910 or email Wales.supporthub@helpforheroes.org.uk