The Photographer
4 Year Celebration
of Being Disabled
By Michael Crawford Hick
Why am I celebrating my 4th year of being disabled? On 21st April 2022 (Easter Sunday) I had been rushed to hospital as I could not walk — I lost all power in my legs and down the left hand side of my body. It looked like a stroke of some kind. With a multitude of tests, CT scans and general questions, I was admitted to Kings College Hospital as I could not walk, and they needed an MRI scan the next day.
As I laid there in resuss for most of the morning from 8.30 to 12, this feeling was surreal. I knew I was being admitted about an hour in. It's just like the documentaries you see on TV — loads of nurses, doctors, healthcare assistants, consultants all waiting for me to come in as I was taken to hospital on blue lights.
17
Sports Covered
4
Years in the Field
50K+
Images Captured
My Story
The Road to Recovery
In summary, I could not walk for 4 days, then it was very wobbly for 8 months after as I had to relearn how to walk and interact with everything. I had mental health sessions, numerous chats with doctors and eventually 6 months later a neurologist. It was this consultant who put it into focus — he said it's FND, Functional Neurological Disorder. Sorry, there is no cure, you have to manage the symptoms. I knew this as I had done my research on this, as the hospital told me what it was.
However, that was the turning point that evening. I said there are so many things I used to do, now I cannot — so what can I do? The list was short in some columns and long in others, and for whatever reason disabled sports photography came up. What was out there was old, outdated and did not do justice for any sport.
The World Cup was playing at this time, and all the "other" sports closed down early because of it. I found a 1-day seminar called "Access to Sports." They had a free lunch and it was at that meeting, just before lunch, that I came up with the idea of "The Disability Sports Network." I purchased the domain name, got some website space and for £125 I set it up within 7 days. With luck I got to shoot my first game 8 days later, and my visitor count was 30+ interactions/views per day for the next 2 months, so I carried on photographing any game I could.
"Without being made disabled, I would not have done any of the things I have done and seen through my viewfinder."
Reflections
Four Years On
Since that day in April when I collapsed, I have done so much in terms of photography. I've published 2 magazines on Disabled Sports, wrote a book on my journey called "An Unexpected Disability" and been to some high-profile events including 2 Paralympics. So some would say this is a calling, divine luck — however to me my niche in photography has finally shown itself to me. My work, even to myself, is showing a massive improvement in what I photograph, as I am now doing it from a disabled perspective. If you look at the photos I have taken, they are getting better every time.
So thank you to all the medical staff who have helped me — even on my trip to hospital some 6 days ago, as I collapsed when someone kicked my leg and I went into a full leg spasm.
Without being made disabled, I would not have done any of the things I have done and seen through my viewfinder. I have plans for more, so watch this space for details.
Regards,
Michael
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