MY JOURNEY THROUGH SPORT, A TUMOUR THAT WAS IN MY SPINAL CORD FOR OVER 10 YEARS AND DOUBLE SPINAL SURGERY
There are many journeys through life that we all take, paths we cross and others we don`t, the journey we each take is our own experieance and from the people we meet to the places we travel, these experiences all shape us into the individuals we become, and its important never to forget this. With this in mind it is my reason for making this site with the hope that it might inspire others through their own journeys by relating to the stories and challenges my own journey has given me, from the highs to the lows. I believe we can all relate somehow to other peoples lives, which can have such a positive and inspiring effect for each of us to go out and live our dreams. I am doing this website from my hospital bed and using it as rehab for my left arm as I have to lift it up to the keyboard and can barely use it.
My journey began after being born with the disability knowing as talipes equinovarus [often referred to as clubfoot].
 How both my feet were when I was born / Then playing shinty as a junior
This would involve me spending the first three years of my life in and out of hospital having treatment on my feet and learning to walk in plaster casts and special boots.
With this start in life, sport would have not been most peoples direction. Growing up in Newtonmore a small Scottish town I played Shinty, a Scottish game like hockey and this is where my passion started in sport. I won several National titles alongside my team mates playing for Newtonmore. From a young age I wanted to do every sport around and this became my dream. I have competed all over the world as an athlete in Karate, Bobsleigh and Rowing and have coached with three national teams - Alpine skiing, Nordic skiing, and I started with the GB Ski cross team in 2010 as fitness coach.  South Africa 1993
My 1st taste of International sport came at the age of 15 when I made it onto the JKA GB Karate team to compete in the 1993 World championships where I won a gold medal. Karate was my dream as a kid and I trained 7 days a week from the age of 8 till I was 19. My journey through Karate took me to 3 world championships in South Africa, Japan, and Russia, a truly amazing experieance. It also gave me the chance to share the love of Karate with Newtonmore and we ran a great little club for close to 4 years.
Three weeks in Japan at 17 was a complete eye opener and the 5am training sessions in the Japanese dojos all over Japan which pretty much involved getting beaten up for fun every day for 6-8 hours was great mental conditioning but it was no fun at the time and not to mention the food! My right foot made life in Karate difficult as I struggled to get into positions and use my hips. In Karate hip power is very important. I remember training in Japan, and one Sensei hitting me with a wooden stick as I could not hold a specific position due to my foot. I took it as I did not know how to tell him I could not due to my foot. Karate in Japan the word I can not just does not exist.  Athletics 400m training
In 1999 – 2000 I ended up training in athletics where I ran track and took an East of Scotland 400m title. I also came 3rd in the 200m, narrowly missing out on Scottish selection in my first season in the sport. However due to my very strange right foot I developed a problem trying to run off the bends and ended up breaking the main supporting bone in my right foot one week before leaving for Sydney.
Three months on crutches and then told that due to my feet I would never really be able to run bends in athletics without lots of problems, was just great news..... Heart breaking as all I wanted to be was an athlete, and I kept hitting these walls that stopped me. During this time I started to suffer my first neural symptoms that the tumor would cause but had no idea and assumed it was just due to the heavy training of 400m. Coupled with a growing tumor in my spinal cord and a right foot that was not playing, a life on the track was not going to happen. That was incredibly frustrating as I loved my athletics and I wanted to compete for Scotland. So with this burning fire of life as an athlete I moved onto a new challenge and decided to try pushing a Bobsleigh! Oh It was a nightmare sitting on the beach in Sydney stuck on crutches wanting to surf!  Brakeman GB One
In 2002 I made it onto the GB Bobsleigh Team as a Brakeman and competed on the Europa and World Cup circuit. In the lead up to the 2006 Olympic Games I was one of the top ranked Brakemen in the country. We trained out of Bath University and Calgary over the summer months. The summer training was great fun and it was a great pleasure for me to train with some amazing athletes over the years, I learned so much from guys like Adam Pengilly who got me started in my Bobsleigh training, Colin Bryce, Shiner, Dan Humphries, Smudger, Freks, Lamin Lizzard, Big John, Di, Ian Crump , big Henry Nwume, Lee, Scas and all the British Bobsleigh guys I was on the team with, to many to mention, all the coaches, Tom Delahunty, Pete Gunn, Dean Ward, Big G, Keith Morgan down in Crystal Palace, and with Clive Brewer up in Scotland. I have learned so much and had many laughs and a lot of pain along the way....
I suffered many injuries during my bobsleigh career, ending in a back injury that would rule me out of training for 10 weeks. This happened in my preparation for the 2006 Olympics. I was then later diagnosed with chronic fatigue, an illness that caused my body to shut down and I watched my Olympic dream disappear. The reason for all my injury and fatigue problems would not be fully explained for another 4yrs.  Early start Chile 2007
I was then lucky to work with the GB Skiing Team as an assistant coach on the World and European Cup circuits, This was a fantastic experience and enhanced my coaching skills significantly. Working with the Baxters and Finlay was a great feeling as there all very close friends, and trying to help them was very rewarding and I loved every second carrying all their skis, bags and driving them across Europe........ Great times!
I worked with all the junior and senior athletes throughout the season and made some very good friends. It`s been great watching those guys develop over the years with some of them making it onto the 2010 Olympic Team. My time with the alpine team was a great learning experieance, and to be involved in such an amazing sport that requires so much skill and ability was a dream job. The fact that I got to ski with some of the best skiers in the world every day and my offiice was the Alps with my daliy commute to work on a chair lift with the odd 15hr drive across Europe, it was one of the best years of my life. A summer working in Chile with the full team in 2007 was out of this world and one close call with death when I fell off a cliff during a little off piste skiing - I know Tilston, Jono, and Buddos wont forget that day! However I still had this burning desire in my blood - the buzz of competing was still rich in me and after coaching it just got stronger and I wanted it more now than ever. So In 2008 I returned to Bobsleigh.  GYM Training
After a summer of trying to rebuild my body and get muscles working, I made it onto the GB Team and found myself back in the van with Shiner, driving across Europe. Anyone who has done this journey will know exactly what I am thinking..... picking up Bobsleighs in Switzerland from a farm at 3am, sleeping in vans and getting stopped by police and asked about these big sleds in the back of the van!
Bobsleigh is a crazy sport and the guys involved are a great bunch of guys and it`s like one big family - lots of bickering and living on top of each other is not easy, but the bond you get is like nothing else. You make friends for life - must be the tight spaces and all that muscle in lycra. However I found my body could not take the strain of the sport and I had to let go of my dream of competing with the team. This was heart breaking as it had been my dream for close to 10 years and as much as I love the speed I knew my body just could not take it. Bobsleigh is tough on the body with speeds of 140km and over 5gs through the bends and not to mention some dangerous driving by Shiner. The start of the season was at the GB champs in TurinI It was great buzz to be back and the BBC were there doing a program with Dean Macey, Jason Gardner, Dan Luger and Craig Maclean which was great fun to watch. With Craig being from back home it was great to hang with him. Those guys were great and big respect as they got some nasty crashes over the week! My 1st slide back in the 2man was in Igls Europa Cup, it was a nightmare. I totally messed up the hit but luckly pushed an ok time. The ride down was smooth from Shiner compared to the last time I had been behind him years ago in Cortina...... but I made a school boy error and missed the braking point and we shot off the track. Not good and just gave the crew lots of work to fix the sled and runners that nigth, sorry guys!! The following days got so hard and my back and hips were in a real mess. I was really hurting and trying to hide it from the team. I knew my body could not take this sport but my mind wanted it so much. I spoke lots with Henry as he has a smart head on those big shoulders and I decided that the end had come to my Bobsleigh journey............ My mind never gave up at any point, it was my body that let me down! So I ended up back home in Aviemore and uncertain of what was next. A few weeks of thinking and planning and a chance conversation with a physio friend was when I was made aware of my disability and that there were many doors that could open that would allow me to countinue my journey and dream in sport. This is where I found rowing through a BPA Talent ID day. After just 5 months of stepping into the boat I had won a World Championship gold medal and World Record on the way in the LTA category - a whole new journey was starting. This decision would one day save my life and I had no idea of what lay ahead.  Early mornings
It was the most amazing experience learning to row and without doubt the most painful. The training was very intense and make no mistake just because you have a disability doesn`t mean you get off lightly. The team is based at the GB rowing base in Caversham and I also joined Reading University boat club. The coaches push you mentally and physically every session taking you past your limts and into a place in your mind where everyting is telling you to stop as it hurts so much, but then that inner drive takes over and you push that bit more knowing that the pain will go, and you`re one step closer to that gold medal where all the pain is worth while. The only limitation of the body is your mind - keep it strong and you can achieve anything.
Learning to skull at the GB base was let`s say a challenge not just for me but Mary and Tom who were coaching me. I found it easier jumping into a moving Bobsleigh than trying to get into a single skull for the 1st time....... but the falling in from the boat is nowhere as bad as the 90mph crashes in Bobsleigh, but in the winter water its not exactly fun either! The rowing was going great and after Poland I started my winter trainnig at Reading. Lots of very early starts on the water at 6am and pushing the mind and body to the limts each session. It`s a great feeling as the sun is coming up and you`re out on the water, you really feel alive, even if you`re freezing and hurting all over... I managed to get through the winter with some good results and made good improvements, a great camp in Spain, with me and James pushing each other in our singles every session, it was starting to look like a great summer ahead and everything was going great. However there were still these strange things happening to my body. Neural stuff that was causing me worry and much discomfort. There were nights where I could not sleep and was up walking around the hotel at 3am as I was in so much pain. This had been an on- going thing for the last 10years and I just lived with it and pushed through, but it was getting worse now... Over the next few months things were getting strange and I was loosing so much power in the gym that was killing Neil my S&C coach, and my body was just not recovering. We looked at every area of training and recovery and it was all ok. The support from the English Institute of Sport is amazing but there was no clear answer to why I was having so many problems. I had some sleep data taking from Sarah the Physiologist and it explained alot on why I was fatigued as I was not getting any sleep and there was lots of nerual activity happening during the night. So we knew my body was not recovering but did not know why this was happening. Soon all would become clear and and the ultimate journey would begin that would anwser so many questions that I had been fighting with for years.  The MRI machine that would change my life
In May 2010 I under went a routine MRI scan on my neck for and injury which would ultimately change my life and provide many anwsers to all my trouble with over training and fatigue that has caused me so many problems throughout my sporting journey. The scan showed a vascular tumor which was about the size of a tennis ball growing in my cervical spine. It was growing inside my spinal cord and there was hardly any room left. A very rare condition affecting one in five million people and if not removed would result in full paralysis of my body. Over the coming weeks I started to loose feeling in my hands and all my power in my upper body. This period was of mixed emotions and frustrations. The future now was not so simple and I knew there was going to be some very dark times ahead. The day I was told this was like no other day and I was in shock and it never really sank in.
I met with Mr Tom Cadoux-Hudson, the surgeon that would be doing the surgery at the Manor Hospital in Oxford. It was a nice meeting as he is a close friend to Richard Budget my doctor at Bisham Abbey and someone I trust and have known for many years. However it didn`t make the news any easier and the drive home that afternoon was a very upsetting one, where i cried most of the way. The impact of being told about the tumor and the risks was just so much to absorb. That day I walked into hospital after doing one of my best scores on the indoor bike for 60min and it felt easy. The feeling of going from a top performance to absorbing life changing information in a few hours is a feeling I dont think I will ever be able to put into words. Over the next week things moved so fast with more scans and tests, my brain never stopped working over time and I was very worried. Thankfully I have such a great group of family, friends and dogies that it made me feel like I had so many people around me to help. This feeling will stay with me for life, and to all my close friends who shared the news with me and gave me strong words of support really made a difference. I hold everyone of you close to my heart for that support. I had lived with this tumor in my neck for over 10years and it had fed off my body for all this time and I never knew it was there. My sporting life had been held back probably so much by it over the years. I lived with the symptoms and thought it was just part of been an athlete. I kept up some very light aerobic exercise on the upright bike so I would be fit going into the operation but I could not risk any pressure on my neck so it was very frustrating and I decided to just relax and prepare mentally for what was about to come. My body was ready, I just needed my mind to be ready as that`s what was going to be the difference in turning all this around. I knew my body could get through this. 
I underwent surgery on the 12th of May which involved removing the tumor from my neck, this came with risks. Any operation through the neck is not going to be easy, so I just relaxed and focused on positive thoughts. Before the surgery I was waiting in my room with Pat my physio chatting, and I said God I hope they don`t go through the front of my neck. Tom then came in and said ok am going to go through the front of your neck! My heart hit 200bpm and I felt like I was standing at the top of a Bobsleigh track behind Crump!
My physio Pat came with me into the operation which was, I`am sure an eye opener for him, but for me it gave me a sense of calm when I was waiting to go into the operating theatre. Laying on the bed knowing he was there made me relax. The operation was over 4 hours long and the tumor successfully removed, however due to the fact the tumor had been growing for over 10years and was crushing my nerves it was not going to come out easy which caushed my left arms function not to return after the surgery. The surgery has left me with 8 screws, 2 cages and some metal plate in the front of my neck! Setting off airport scanners might be the future..... The days after the surgery were tough on me and I started to see how much it was taking out on my family who were in the hospital. Dad, Mum, and Sister were wiped and I couldn`t understand what it must of been like for them to watch this. It must have been very hard for them to go through watching this. There was some very dark moments especially at night when I was on my own, thinking of all the worst case scenarios and what might be in front. But the support kept coming through from friends and it kept me strong and positive, in fact I felt great The tumor was out and I felt like I had a new life and was so focused and pumped to get into rehab and fit again and go out and grab life with both hands. Tom the surgeon came in every day and chatted about rowing and shared some old stories of his rowing days that made me laugh. I got lots of visitors with movies and chat and a blow up fish for my room. There was a lot of positive people popping in and having the banter. This was great for my mind and passed the time.  ITU after first surgery
On day 9 after the surgery I got to go home and I was feeling happy and really positive. This time after the surgery passed slowly with no real improvement in the left arm and when I returned home things started to get very strange and a bit scary. I couldn`t really focus on anything or even have a chat. I felt so strange and was loosing the ability to function at all - I couldn`t even pet the dogs. On the 22nd of May I lost the ability to walk as well as total paralysis of the left arm. I was trying to stay calm but it was hard. It was the scariest day of my life and one that will stay with me forever. I was at home and could hardly talk, my legs had pretty much stopped working and I was getting pretty scared, so I called the hospital and they told me to come right in. So quick call to Neil McQuoid and he came right away and got me into his car and drove me to Oxford. Top guy for that and his ski chat kept my mind off what was going on in my body.
When I got to hospital I was put into wheelchair and taken for another MRI scan. This would show a blood clot had formed at the base of my neck and a build up of fluid on the spine. This would mean another surgery on my neck to remove the clot and give me back my legs and arm function as the clot was crushing the nerve supply. At that point I didn`t know how serious a blood clot can be, that was probably a good thing! That weekend in hospital was horrific. The thoughts going through my mnd that I might not walk again were so scary. I lost control of my mental strength and was just so worried, my body just started to shut down. I had no real feeling from my mid waist down and had no idea how to really deal with it all than to just lay there and hope all was going to be ok. I felt so sorry for my family watching this happen to me. This was the 1st time I really didn`t feel in control during the whole period and that is a scary mind set to be in. Over the weekend it sank in how dangerous a blood clot can be and that worried me lots.  How My neck looks now
So on the 24th of May I was taken in for my second operation on my neck within 12 days. I was nervous all morning waiting, and my mind was playing tricks with me and I could not walk or really function. Tom was going back in through the front of my neck and taking out all his good work to get to the clot then putting me back together again, what a top guy! Truly amazing stuff! He always made me feel so calm when he told me what he was planning and I know I could not have anyone better doing the surgery. This gave me such a calming feeling and helped me switch off mentally to what was going on......
The 2nd surgery totally wiped me mentally and physically and when I came round I had nothing in my legs or left arm. That night in ITU I was completely out of it and can`t remember much of what was going on. The ITU staff were amazing and I could not have been in better hands. The 1st couple of days I was so upset and down. I found myself thinking of the worst that had happened and what if I can`t do anythiing again. At that point I stopped and had to tell myself this was not going to stop me chasing my sporting or life dreams and was only going to make it even more worth while and more rewarding. With that in mind I looked back through my diary and read what the last 12 days had done to me mentally and physcially and decided to stay positive and channel all my energy into getting better. The staff at the Manor Hospital were all fantastic and so posititve, always lifitng my spirits. They have made such a huge impact on me staying positive and have given me the best treatment I could ever want. It was also at this point all the support from my friends helped more than they will ever know, the calls, texts and emails were amazing and I could not have stayed as positive without that.  Dinner time - staying positive
This experiance of how fragile the human body can be and what we take for granted on a daily basis has changed my life forever and is why I have built this site. I hope that my story can help inspire and give people hope and the drive they need to chase their dreams and goals no matter what hurdles are put up in front of them, and that you should treassure your family, friends and every day in your life. It has made me realise how important the small things are in life that make the big differences to the people around you, and that I want to experience and share all life has to give.
I can`t thank Tom the surgeon enough and can`t put into words how amazing the two surgeries he performed were. I also thank the doctors, nurses, family and friends who have supported me through this time and been there for me anytime I needed them. It is amazing what a strong positive word can mean to someone and how it can lift your spirits when your at your darkest moments. All the phone calls texts and emails from my friends from back home in Aviemore, and around the world from Calgary to Sydney have been my biggest strength through the start of this new journey in my life, and it`s a great honour to have each and everyone of you as a friend. Coming round from my 1st surgery and seeing those special people in my life there waiting will stay with me forever. Dad, Mum, Sister all who had waited........ Then there was Shiner he sat in ITU till 10:30pm killing me with Shiner chat and all the Bobsleigh years. He had waited all day to see me and kept my family laughing and in good spirits with his chat. I think him and my Sister held my parents together through all this.... amazing stuff I love you all..... ITU was a very emotional place that night and having those special people come in and stand with me and hold my hand is like no feeling in the world ....... |
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In this photo - Years of training lost in weeks
3 stone of muscle gone
my first few steps I could hardly make it to my door
Now the new journey really begins as I start learning to walk again, trying to get my left arm working and rebuild my body so I can go out and live life. The one thing I will never do again is moan about stupid stuff as going through this experience has really put so much into perspective for me on how great life is if you live it and embrace each day.
I would just like to say a massive thank you to all the staff at the Manor Hospital in Oxford for the best treatment in the world and the positive visits everyday, and to GB Rowing, EIS and everyone who has helped me through this time.
Follow my sporting journey on my blog as I get back into fighting shape.....
As you never know what is round the corner as I found out in May 2010............
3 stone of muscle gone
my first few steps I could hardly make it to my door
Now the new journey really begins as I start learning to walk again, trying to get my left arm working and rebuild my body so I can go out and live life. The one thing I will never do again is moan about stupid stuff as going through this experience has really put so much into perspective for me on how great life is if you live it and embrace each day.
I would just like to say a massive thank you to all the staff at the Manor Hospital in Oxford for the best treatment in the world and the positive visits everyday, and to GB Rowing, EIS and everyone who has helped me through this time.
Follow my sporting journey on my blog as I get back into fighting shape.....
- DONT LIVE WITH REGRETS OR HOLD ONTO THE PAST
- LIVE FOR THE MOMENT AND THE NOW
- DONT STRESS AND WORRY ABOUT THE FUTURE - WORK HARD AND YOU WILL FIND YOUR WAY
As you never know what is round the corner as I found out in May 2010............
Skiing in USA at 17
BIO
NAME: David Smith
HEIGHT: 194cm
WEIGHT: 95kg
HOME TOWN: Aviemore
Greatest sporting moment:
There is a few, surving Cortina behind shiners wild 4man driving is one. Watching my mate Alain Baxter win Bronze medal in 2002 winter games is up there. Seeing any of my mates perform gives me a boost and on personal level every time I compete for GB is great for me. Crossing the line in London was my dream come true after 19 years of chasing it.
NAME: David Smith
HEIGHT: 194cm
WEIGHT: 95kg
HOME TOWN: Aviemore
Greatest sporting moment:
There is a few, surving Cortina behind shiners wild 4man driving is one. Watching my mate Alain Baxter win Bronze medal in 2002 winter games is up there. Seeing any of my mates perform gives me a boost and on personal level every time I compete for GB is great for me. Crossing the line in London was my dream come true after 19 years of chasing it.
