Meet 3 of the Ottawa athletes competing in Invictus Games in Toronto
For Ottawa athletes competing in the Invictus Games next week in Toronto, the competition is a chance to demonstrate that even if someone is down, they shouldn't be counted out.
Prince Harry founded the games to use sports to help soldiers recover after being injured in the line of duty. The event includes adaptive sports for ill and injured military personnel from 17 allied countries.
There are nine athletes that list Ottawa as their residence on the Team Canada website, and three of them attended a national flag tour event at the Department of National Defence headquarters on Friday.
There are two more tour events this weekend:
- 3 p.m. Saturday on Parliament Hill.
- 7 a.m. to 12 p.m., 1 p.m. Sunday at the Canadian War Museum as part of the Army Run.
David Desjardins, a retired master corporal who served in the artillery and military police, said he experienced post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and was medically released from service after hip surgery that limited his ability to walk.
"The physical disability to me had more stigma attached to it, because PTSD you could hide," he said.
He said he withdrew socially and began to gain weight, eventually developing Type 2 diabetes.
"When you have to rely on a wheelchair for your mobility, people see it. And the first thing that goes through a lot people's minds when they're first physically injured is, 'what do they think?' It takes a lot of time to get over your own mental barriers."
Desjardins eventually joined Soldier On, a Canadian Armed Forces program for ill and injured personnel. Though he was reluctant to start, it got him involved in wheelchair basketball, one of his events in next week's games.
"Once I sat in the chair and just started goofing around, I immediately fell in love with it, because it was a sense of freedom," he said.
Desjardins, who is also competing in shotput and discus, said he's more physically active in the last year than he has been in the previous five years as he trained for the games. He's been doing 10 and 15 km circuits on his wheelchair and learning the technical aspects of the throwing sports.
He said the Invictus Games are a great platform to give people a new perspective on the capabilities of people with disabilities.
'Spirit to fight'
Chief Petty Officer 2nd Class Cheryl Bush is still serving with the Royal Canadian Navy. She suffered muscle-bone structural injuries on her lower body in the engine room of a ship.
She said the condition deteriorated over the last 20 years, limiting her ability to play competitive sports. Being on Team Canada for Invictus gave her a goal and motivated her to get back into shape, Bush said.
"Being part of the games gets you back into that whole spirit to fight mentality, which is part of the military," she said. "We have to be fit to do our jobs."
Bush will be competing in cycling and acting as an assistant coach for wheelchair basketball.
Bush said the Invictus Games is a reminder to Canadians of the sacrifice, service and risk of injury that members of the Canadian Forces accept when they put on the uniform.
'It brings people back'
Master Cpl. Scott Atkinson was in rehab in Toronto six weeks ago. While it interrupted the training he began in November, he's now focused on getting back into running and archery at next week's competition.
Atkinson served in Bosnia in 1998 as a reservist, joined the regular army and served twice in Afghanistan. Between the Bosnia and Afghanistan deployments, he developed PTSD, and began to experience chronic pain and addictions.
"Quite often with PTSD, you find yourself trying to drown what's going on, what's in your head. You find yourself taking more alcohol and it doesn't work. And then you move into pills and they don't work," he said.
While he credits his experience in rehab with clearing his mind, he said sports have been a major part of his recovery.
"I'm healthier, I'm going out doing more," he said. "I've got the Army Run, the games and the [Toronto] Waterfront Marathon. I would've never thought of doing the marathon six months ago."
Atkinson, a former rugby player, will be competing in archery at the Invictus Games.
"It just shows what sports does for people, how much it brings people back," he said. "It's the whole team showing it, it's not just the guys that have lost limbs, it's other people are injured too."
