Meet Kieran Maxwell: Wheelchair Acrobatics National Champion
In May this year, Kieran Maxwell won the Wheelchair Acrobatics Section of the NDP British Gymnastics Acrobatic National Championships, with his partner Abbie. The fifteen year old from Darlington has always loved his sport and here we learn more about his passion for competition.
His talent as a gymnast has led to speculation that he could one day represent ParalympicsGB, if his event is adopted. Meanwhile, he continues to pursue in his sport and gain lots of recognition along the way. He said:
'I love everything about it. It makes me feel like I'm not different from other people. I'm not. Before I lost my leg I couldn't even do a forward roll but now I can do them easily, as well as hand-stands and cartwheels. I'm now working on learning somersaults. My aim is that I would like to be a Paralympian, hopefully in Rio, and go on to win gold for Britain. I went to the Paralympics in the Olympic stadium. It was so inspiring. It made me think that these people go out there and do what they love and have gone through the same thing as me. I know that I can do it too.'
In 2010, Kieran was first diagnosed with a rare and very aggressive cancer – Ewings Sarcoma. This resulted in the amputation of his left leg– through the knee. Ewing’s Sarcoma is a rare disease whereby a specific form of tumour, consisting of cancerous cells, forms in the bone or soft tissue. According to Macmillian Cancer Support, fewer than thirty children develop this disease in the UK every year.
Just eight days before this championship event, Kieran and his family sadly discovered that Kieran’s cancer had returned. Kieran delayed his treatment so that he could compete. He did so with eight tumours in his lungs and won gold, becoming a British Gymnastics Acrobatic champion.
Mrs Maxwell praised her son for going ahead with the competition in Stoke:
“He was determined to win and has already been co-ordinating his next tournament with his coach."
In September, Kieran successfully completed the Mini Great North run with his running leg in aid of Bone Cancer Research Trust. Kieran trained for the run in between Chemotherapy appointments and ran the full 1.5k- the furthest he has ever run on his prosthesis, whilst fighting Ewings Sarcoma for the second time. He continues to receive treatment in the North East.
Kieran has a running prosthesis and new Custom Finish socket, complete with Newcastle United’s colours and badge from world-leading prosthetic company, Dorset Orthopaedic. The new socket consists of a flexible inner socket surrounded by a carbon fibre frame. A vacuum assisted system will act to suspend the limb and help to stabilise the socket. The knee unit will be a hydraulic knee specifically designed for Kieran's level of amputation, fabricated from titanium to provide a lightweight but durable solution. The foot module will be a carbon fibre blade similar to that which can be seen on many of the athletes in the Paralympic Games and will help to give Kieran the energy return that he needs to participate competitively in sport.
Sockets are really important for amputees. It is a well-known fact that comfort will always be at the top of any amputee’s list of priorities when choosing a new prosthesis. Without a comfortably fitting socket, no matter how clever or sophisticated a foot or knee may be, the prosthesis will never be fully functional.
