Page 7 - Real Rochdale Issue 20 Winter 2023

and nerves, but unfortunately her symptoms spurred on to apply for the 2023 games in
didn’t improve. Düsseldorf – and made the team in January
2023.
In 2020, she was medically discharged, losing
her job as a critical care nurse. She also Kelly competed across three disciplines –
moved to Spain in March of that year, as the one-armed swimming, recumbent cycling and
warmer weather helps with her symptoms, a 100m relay athletics race. She had been due
which are exacerbated when using her left to take part in athletics, but with no-one else
side and can last for several weeks at a time. in her disability classification, she was unable
to compete. However, she was added to other
“I began looking at courses and events to classifications so she could still run, throw
attend, to see what else I could do outside and take part in the long jump.
of the military,” she said. “One of these
included the Invictus Games trials to learn She said: “It was more important for me to
about adaptive sports. My injury stopped take part and show the world what I can do,
me playing many other sports I enjoyed. I in spite of my disability.”
eventually stopped many activities as the
pain I felt afterwards wasn’t worth it. The relay team ultimately placed third and
landed a bronze medal, before Kelly would
Photos: Royal British Legion
“I lost all enjoyment in keeping fit until I went take her first gold and her silver in swimming.
along to the trials where they showed me Despite not being, in her words, “a confident
Kelly McVitty: Kelly was selected for the 2020 games and silver for her backstroke.
swimmer,” Kelly won gold in the breaststroke
how to adapt sports to my injury.”

was pregnant with her son, Jaxon. Upset
breaststroke using one arm in February this
Team UK’s vice-captain wins big at Invictus GAMES but had to withdraw after finding out she She explained she only learned to swim
she hadn’t managed to take part due to
year, keeping her head in the water.
pregnancy and a traumatic birth, Kelly was
Kelly McVitty is a military veteran originally from Heywood.

She now lives in Spain and landed five medals at the 2023

Invictus Games, an international multi-sport event for
wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women, both

serving and veterans.

The games aim to demonstrate the power was thrown sideways, hitting the left side of
of sport to inspire recovery, support her body and woke up the next day, unable to
rehabilitation and demonstrate life beyond move.
disability.
Left with a variety of symptoms – including
Once a critical care nurse for the Princess pins and needles, lethargy, neck and jaw
Mary’s Royal Air Force Nursing Service, tension and hypersensitivity – Kelly was
looking after people on life support and diagnosed with swelling of her shoulder
treating injured personnel returning from nerves, as well as compression of her blood
Iraq and Afghanistan, an unfortunate collision vessels and nerves between the collarbone
in Afghanistan in 2012 changed Kelly’s life. and the first rib.

Kelly was working on a patient in an Kelly underwent surgery in 2017 to remove
ambulance when another road user forced her first rib and one of her neck muscles to
the ambulance to an emergency stop. Kelly try and relieve the compression in her artery

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