That’s 100 months… or 8 years and 4 months… or roughly 75,000 words. Now that’s a milestone!
I would like to take a moment to thank you all for reading this, whether this is the only blog you have read, or if you have been with me since the beginning, when my little angel and first-born Molly arrived, through to Harry and now little Oscar. There have been so many highlights, from working at the IAAF World Athletics in London 2017 and witnessing Bristol Rovers achieve back-to-back promotions, to building the new clinic, welcoming a host of new staff and working at the 2022 Commonwealth Games – and lots more in between.
Milestone 2 – 20 seasons working with Bristol Rovers
OK, so the 20th season has only just started, but it’s here and I’m pleased I made it! It all started with the amazing Junior Agogo. After a day working at Bristol Rugby, with whom they were sharing a ground at The Mem at the time, I got a call from Bristol Rovers asking me to: “Please help Junior with his neck injury. He’s our best player, but he can’t move his head and we need him tomorrow”.
So typical Junior (as it turns out) arrived 30 minutes late for his 45-minute appointment and walked in as though it was no big deal, sat down and asked me to fix him. Thankfully, despite the high pain levels and heavily restricted neck movement, he responded well to some classic chiropractic treatments. He played the next day and scored the winning goal. Sadly, Junior passed away in August 2019 at just 40.
Milestone 3 – Kyle Sinckler
Kyle is one of the best rugby props in the world, a Bristol Bears favourite and regular England and Lions player. And now the secret’s out – he was referred to Cleve Chiropractic for help with the acute back pain that saw his season cut short earlier this year. He kindly mentioned the clinic in a double-page spread in The Times as one of the big reasons he has recovered from a potentially career changing injury.
When Kyle arrived at the clinic he was in a pickle. He couldn’t sit and had to lie down in the car to travel anywhere. He was adamant that he didn’t want the back surgery which had been proposed, so he was recommended to me, which is always humbling. He was ready to do anything, so we got to work. Kyle quickly became one of the most committed players I have ever seen, showing a brilliant attitude that undoubtedly aided his recovery. Clearly, it’s a quality which has seen him rise to the top of his game. Kyle’s journey was full of highs and milestones, along with some of the lows that come with major injury recovery. His ultimate milestone though is this…
He started the first game of the new season for Bristol Bears, with no surgery, months earlier than expected. I am so proud of, pleased for and impressed by him. Life has thrown Kyle many hurdles to climb but I don’t believe he jumped over any of them – I think he just dropped his shoulder and smashed through them!
Milestone 4 – Marcus Stewart
Marcus and his wife Louise are dear friends. I got to know him really well when he returned to work as a coach with Bristol Rovers. He was amazingly successful – as he had been as a player with Rovers – and helped the team bag back-to-back promotions. Ever since then I have treated him in clinic and we regularly catch up socially. He is kind, generous with his time and quick to smile and laugh with you.
As I’m sure many of you know, Marcus was recently diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease. Despite this, Marcus and Louise are still going strong and enjoying life. They have been planning a series of events to raise money for the Darby Rimmer MND foundation.
The foundation, which has given Marcus and Louise lots of support, information and guidance, was founded by former Liverpool footballer Stephen Darby and his close friend and army veteran Chris Rimmer, who both have MND. The charity supports people and their families who have been diagnosed, as well as the search for ground-breaking treatments.
Medical science can be truly wonderful and a cure for MND will be found. So, the final milestone of this month’s blog lies in the future – to help speed up the search for a cure for MND. Marcus and Louise hope to raise £100,000 for the foundation. To support them, please search for ‘Team Stewart’ on Just Giving, or find the link on our social media accounts.
