We met Rick last year and found his story is incredible.  If you want to find out more about Rick follow this link to his website. 

www.upliftingstunts.net

This is rick's story in his own words...

My name is Rick. A few years ago I developed a pain condition in my knees which means I now need to use a wheelchair as it is too painful to walk for any length of time. Before my condition I was a competitive cheerleader and physical theatre performer and I was devastated as I thought all of that was over, but with the help of some amazing friends I am now the worlds first wheelchair partner stunter! Now I am on a mission to promote not only wheelchair partner stunting but also disabled cheerleading organisations and other inclusive sports with a view to assist others in getting involved, no matter what barriers you face.

Cheerleading is one of the most friendly and inclusive sports I have ever experienced and I hope that through the work of my 'Worlds First Wheelchair Partner Stunt', or 'WPSCheer' as I often call it, I can help widen the inclusion even more and allow other wheelchair users and people of varying disabilities to get involved.

One thing I have not yet freely written or spoken about in the past is the medical condition I have that has led me to using a wheelchair and thus led me to develop Wheelchair Partner Stunt and get involved in all my other activities.   The reason I have not gone into this before is that I believe the media puts too much emphasis on a person’s disability and not enough on their capabilities, so I tend to avoid discussing my condition to avoid the concept referred to as the “super-crip” or the sort of sympathy media that is often portrayed about disabled people.  However, it has recently come to my attention that there are rumours and mis-information out there about me and so I wanted to clear it all up.

I have a condition known as Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) which is a central nervous system disorder.  This developed after a fall from a 9 foot fence which caused trauma to my knees.  It was part of my job in a theme park as part of a Halloween “scare attraction” at the time to climb up on high scaffolding fences and interact with the public in order to scare them.  However one day it was raining and my trainers were wet and so I slipped off the fence I was standing on and fell to the concrete floor. As a trained physical performer, I have ninja reflexes and managed to land on my feet, however the doctors believe that the heavy landing on concrete caused bruising to the bones and trauma to the nerve endings in my knees.  This trauma to the local nerves caused my central nervous system to go haywire resulting in various side effects, including extreme hyper-sensitivity to any contact on the front of my knees and severe pain when bearing any weight through my knees.  My knees are in pain constantly, which varies in severity from a dull throbbing to a stabbing, burning sensation.  My condition is localised to my knees; there is no damage to my spine so I have full movement of my legs and I can walk, however the pain means I can only stand for a few seconds at a time.  Subsequently to this condition, I have developed various RSI type problems in my arms due to using crutches and a wheelchair all the time.  I also have a lot of fatigue issues because I don’t sleep well at night due to the pain in my legs which means I often have to sleep during the day.

There is another less obvious element to my condition that many people who suffer from chronic pain experience but it is often overlooked.  The pain and lessened capabilities, in combination with the multitude of pharmaceutical drugs I have to take and the changes to the chemicals in my body as a result, plus the lack of understanding of what has happened by family and friends leads to chronic depression that is sometimes so bad that it is more crippling than the condition itself.  This is where cheerleading, cycling, mountain trikes and circus has saved me.  Initially the doctors didn’t know what was wrong with me and stopped me from doing any sort of physical activity and for someone as active as myself it was a devastating blow.  In early 2009 the Consultant I was seeing at the time allowed me to go swimming and that, combined with getting a wheelchair so that I could move around independently, was the best news I’d had in a while.  Following from that, I discovered a local “cycling for all” charity which I started attending weekly and this gave me a reason for leaving the house. 

Despite these activities I still felt there were elements of my life I could never go back to and I often stated, in reference to myself, “a disabled physical theatre performer is like a blind bus driver”.  The interesting thing about pain and depression is that they are a vicious cycle; each makes the other worse, and so for about a year I was in a very dark place.  By 2010 I had added homelessness and financial crisis to my list of woes and so didn’t feel like things could get much worse; fortunately some very good friends encouraged me to try cheerleading stunts once again, but from my wheelchair.  One of my friends was a willing flyer and so I tentatively attempted a stunt called a “chair sit”.  It worked and all of a sudden there was a light at the end of the tunnel.  The story from there is what you see and hear about me today; the work I do with cheerleading and my circus group, along with my cycling campaigns, have increased my fitness and my mental wellbeing, allowing me to manage my pain a lot better. 

So there you have it, the full details of my medical condition.  I’m not putting all this in writing because I want sympathy; it’s the last thing I want from you; but I want to try and help ease peoples’ curiosity, and clear up any misinformation that’s out there.  If you want to do anything to help me then support me; cheer for me; and show me that you respect what I can do, don’t watch and support a man with a disability, support an athlete who just happens to be sitting down.

Rick is looking for sponsorship to take his team to the Worlds competition in Florida.  Is there anything you can do to support Riack and his team?

You can contact Rick at rick@upliftingstunts.net

www.upliftingstunts.net

www.facebook.com/wheelchairpartnerstunt

www.youtube.com/user/WheelchairPS