Scottish snowboarder shows triumph of human spirit over 'the most evil disease you can imagine'
Davy Zyw is a beacon of hope for people with motor neurone disease and humanity as a whole
It is “the most evil disease you can imagine”, says Davy Zyw. Yet, seven years after his diagnosis, the Scottish snowboarder is about to become the first snowsports athlete with motor neurone disease to compete in the Winter Paralympics.
MND affects the 38-year-old’s hands, arms and torso, causing severe fatigue, cramps, muscle wastage and loss of dexterity. Many people do not live more than two or three years after being diagnosed.
Snowboarding comes with significant risks. “My approach is, basically, don't fall. I've got a very little cushion, very little muscle in my upper body now. I learned the hard way when I fell in Patagonia and shattered my shoulder blade,” Zyw says.
His hope is to “get down in one piece” but also to raise awareness about MND and “be a beacon of hope about what people can do and what they can live with with the condition”.
He is surely an inspiration, not just those with MND, but to us all. His is a story of the triumph of the human spirit over the cruellest of fates. With courage like that, there’s little we could not achieve.
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.