Meggan Dawson-Farrell: My sporting journey sitting on the side lines to making headlines
MEGGAN Dawson-Farrell, a proud Children Today Ambassador, was born with spina bifida and also suffers from hydrocephalus.
Meggan wasn’t able to play sports at school but started after attending a youth sports camp aged 14. Now having switched from her early passion for wheelchair racing to wheelchair curling and competing in the Paralympics and Commonwealth Games, things have changed a lot and Meggan’s previous experience of being excluded from sport at school is a thing of the past , but her path was not easy!
We asked Meggan to share her experiences of accessing sport and exercise and her journey to becoming a professional athlete.
Megan said:
“Let me take you back to elementary school. My passion for sports didn’t start as early as with many children, I came to the party a little late, what can I say, I’m a late bloomer! Elementary school wasn’t the best experience for me when it came to sports or physical education as I was disabled I wasn’t allowed to participate in any kind of sport just in case I hurt myself or others if I fell down. When you’re young, you don’t want to speak out or rock the boat, so I kept quiet and just went along with it. Looking back now, I wish I had spoken up and said I wanted to get involved in any way I could, whether I had gear that was customized to allow me to compete or just got by without it, because where there’s a will, there’s a way, and I really wanted to do sports!
“But instead of being able to participate, I was taken to an empty classroom to either paint or play on the blackboard. Sports Day came every year, but I was never able to attend. My job has always been to either measure the other students in races or give out medals at the end of the day.
“A few years later it was time to move on to high school and despite my bad experiences with sports in elementary school I was excited to try new things and finally get involved in sports. Unfortunately, I was wrong and wasn’t allowed to play sports with my classmates. I was taken to a gym with a study assistant where I could use an exercise bike to get some exercise. This was great for the short time I was able to use it until new rules came into effect which meant my assistant wasn’t allowed to be in such a cold environment for her own safety because it was cold! This decision still amazes me to this day. Shouldn’t it be a bit colder in a gym? Surely nobody wants to train in a hot environment!
“That meant I couldn’t use the exercise bike anymore, which meant there was no more sport or exercise for me, and I was back on the sidelines wishing I was with all my peers. But I never felt like I could challenge it, I just kept going.
“I didn’t do any sport after school, I think I was scared. That is, until one day my mum told me we were going on a little day trip to Largs, so my mum packed us all in the car and I set off with her and my aunt for our little trip. When we were just outside Largs my mum dropped the bombshell on me and said we wouldn’t do a day trip but I would Strictly speaking going to a sports camp run by Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Scotland.
“Of course I started coming up with all the excuses that I wasn’t well and that I had to go to the hospital, but she knew I was fine. When we entered the building I was completely upset and kept saying I’m not staying and telling my mother I was running away, my mother and aunt should just go home and come back in a few days but because I said , I would run away, they knew they couldn’t leave and go home. Just in case I did run away, my mum and aunt ended up booking into a nearby B&B and going to a local store to buy underwear and a toothbrush as they didn’t have anything with them.
“Fast forward a few days and it was time to go home. My mother came to pick me up and when she came in, the first thing I told her to do was go, she was early. I was high as a kite; I had a great time. Being surrounded by children who were also disabled made me feel welcome and connected to other children my age. I had tried athletics, soccer, archery and tennis to name a few sports and it was there that I found my first sporting passion.
“A few weeks after coming home feeling absolutely elated after being around as many disabled people as I have, my mum received an email from Scottish Disability Sport’s Lynne Glen asking her if I wouldn’t like to come along to a local track Grangemouth Stadium and that’s where I tried track and field for the first time. To say I fell in love instantly would be an understatement!
“At first I was just cruising around in my everyday chair, then after a few weeks at the race track my parents decided it was time for an upgrade and I was given my first racing wheelchair which we traveled south to pick up. The chair had belonged to a shot putter, so looking back it was a bit big, but we didn’t know any different at the time. Everyone just thought ‘she can push it, so that must be fine’. It definitely wasn’t an afterthought, but it did the job for a while and eventually I got my first properly customized racing chair. Still, I believe I owe my career in athletics to my first chair, which I named “Herbie.”
“My athletics has given me fantastic opportunities to travel for events all over the world, Dubai, Italy, Switzerland and America to name a few, to so many great events including the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. What an incredible experience it was, rolling in front of 40,000 people and hearing the Hamden Roar was absolutely amazing and will be remembered forever. My event was the 1500m where I placed 7th in the final.
“A few years later, my life took a small turn and I had an unfortunate injury that resulted in a pressure sore on the back of my leg, which meant I was out of action for a while just because of lying on my stomach or my back to be able to lie down and I was like that for five months, either at home or in the hospital because of an infection. It was pretty tough for me as I’m so used to being on the road training all the time, but not being able to do it made me start to get a little down. My parents then thought about what I could do, if only for a short time, until I could get up again, and that’s when it all started for me again, my new passion – wheelchair curling!
“So where do I start with wheelchair curling! As my wound began to heal somewhat, I was able to sit in my chair for a short time. It was when I was invited to The Peak in Stirling after Wheelchair Worlds 2018 that my true passion for curling began. I was invited to try it out and attended a few sessions with the Paralympic Squad. It started with going a few sessions now and then to attend all sessions and the rest is history.
“In 2020. I went to my first World Championships which was in Wetzikon in Switzerland what an incredible experience that was, then Covid-19 hit and we weren’t sure if we were going to come home but luckily we did, although there are worse places to get stuck.
“Then 2022 was the Winter Paralympics year and those were my very first Paralympics games. I was selected in December and competed in March, so I went to Beijing. To say I was nervous would be an understatement, but I was also very excited. It was an incredible feeling to put on this GB kit and to be able to play on such a big stage with such an amazing team. It’s definitely an experience I’ll keep with me forever and now that I’ve gotten the taste I just want to work that little bit harder to give myself the best chance and opportunity to come back for the next one Matches to be selected to be played in Milan Cortina in 2026.
“I didn’t have the easiest start to my sporting journey, but a lot has changed. Since the Paralympics in London there has been much more acceptance and interest in disabled sports. However, there is still a long way to go and charities like Children Today are doing amazing things to help young people with disabilities get the exercise they need, like any other child. Whether that means dreaming of becoming the next Paralympic Superstar or just being able to ride bikes with friends and family!”
To learn more about Children Today, to apply for support or to donate, please contact: www.childrentoday.org.uk.