instructor for personnel support students.
It was a joint training school, the army and the RAF.
We were in close contact with our army
colleagues as well, army instructors.
One of the guys I worked with noticed
I'd been walking a bit funny, mentioned it.
I sort of ignored it because I didn't feel
like anything was slowing me down.
Then a few weeks later he filmed it on his phone
and showed it to me, and it was very shocking to see.
I'd made an appointment at the medical center
and they sent me straight to hospital.
I was still in uniform, which scared
me a little bit, why the urgency?
Got to the hospital and they said you need overnight care
because you're not going anywhere.
Then, five days later after many tests, scans, pokes, prods,
and needles, they diagnosed me with multiple sclerosis.
My first instinct was cry, and I did because for me
at that point I still had years to go in the RAF.
So, to have that news for me I thought it was the end,
I thought that was the beginning of the end.
But actually (laughs), it's completely the opposite.
It's really opened my eyes to how inclusive we are becoming,
how inclusive the defense network
is, how everything is case by case.
Not just that, it's opened up so many other doors
that I didn't think would be opening
with Help for Heroes and Sports Recovery
that I didn't think I'd be eligible for things like that.
I assumed that would be an Afghanistan
war veteran scheme, but it's absolutely not.
They brought me into the fold and have really helped
me come to terms with it, deal with it, get on with it,
which is the most important thing.
