When Sonny Bassett started using a wheelchair in 2021 he was left feeling down and isolated but the 29-year-old has been able to turn things around.
Things started to improve when he saw the crash and bash of wheelchair rugby at the Paralympics on TV.
Living near Acle, he found the Norfolk Knights Wheelchair Rugby Club, which meets at Wymondham Leisure Centre on Saturdays - but recently he was hurt playing the high-impact sport.
“I was very isolated - especially after the pandemic," Sonny explained.
“I feel like I have a purpose again. It’s more than just a sport to me.”
Sonny was left unable to walk a year and a half ago, although the cause of his paralysis is still being investigated and is thought to be linked to a growth on his neck.
When he started wheelchair rugby in September 2021 he thought the sport was “awesome” but now he has launched a fundraising campaign to purchase a safe, made-to-measure chair.
Played on a hard court by two teams of 12 players, the sport uses custom wheelchairs, which have special features including a bumper to strike and hold opponents’ chairs, and wings to make the chair harder for opponents to grab and hold.
Since joining, he has loaned one of the club’s chairs, which is too large for him and last Saturday he collided with another player at training, causing him a minor head injury and concussion.
The injury resulted in a loss of memory of the crash, and he was instructed to take three weeks off of training to recover.
He said: “If I had the right fitted chair, I may have been better protected.”
Sonny says the sport has made a huge difference to his life and that he feels his anxiety and depression have “improved immensely” since joining.
As well as making friends through the team, he believes training has greatly helped his cardiovascular health during difficult times.
Sonny was quoted £3,645 for a suitable chair - but says this figure has since risen.
He is now fundraising to afford a new chair that will keep him safe and he has hopes of representing Norfolk in tournaments over the summer months.
So far he has raised £130, to support his cause head to gofund.me/d08e0205.
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