Help me represent Team GB with a prosthetic leg!

Hi,

My name is Curnow, I am 32 years old. A PE teacher, an athlete, a coach, a married man, an aspiring father. Throughout my life, I have advocated for good physical health - through nutrition and exercise, and good mental health - through mindfulness and the outdoors. While all of this had put me in good stead to live a long and healthy life, sometimes, life bites back.

In January this year, a lump appeared in my right calf causing what felt like bruising. With an original diagnosis of Myositis Ossificans – calcification of the muscle – I was asked to wait it out and told my body would fix itself in time. Nothing too serious.

Unfortunately though, a couple of months later, the lump was bigger and the pain was worse. Much worse. In May following multiple tests and scans, I got the call to say I had cancer. An Epithelioid sarcoma. A rare type of cancer that often affects young men. A few days later, another call came. This time, suggesting the best course of treatment was an urgent amputation, above the knee, to reduce the risk of spread. By this time, I was bedbound due to the pain – unable to engage, move, eat, or sleep. The tumour had also been releasing Calcium into my blood causing confusion, brain fog and other issues and my body was categorised as ‘toxic.’

With the help of my wife and family, I was able to make the tough decision to commit to the surgery. It was the best decision of my life that I never thought I’d have to make. I was admitted to hospital soon after as an emergency, five days before surgery, to clear the excess calcium from my bloodstream so they could operate.

It was less than 4 weeks from that first call, to arriving home post-surgery – a testament to the team that worked on me. A whirlwind. But the pain, that alien pain that I didn’t understand, had gone. There were new pains now, but they were pains that I understood. As an athlete, coach, and a physical education teacher, it had been my job to know these pains – tissue damage, muscle death, sores, and weakness. That understanding helped me a lot during my recovery.

And now, the next phase. The rebuild. The regrowth; mentally and physically. The mental recovery came strangely fast – it was so refreshing to be able to think clearly again. I quickly rebuilt the relationships I had lost; rediscovering my marriage, it had only been a few months before all of this, as well as repairing communication with some family. The physical side came slowly but naturally, I had been doing it all my life. It was a little different now, but that didn’t change anything – the physio, the strength and conditioning is merely tailored. I do not doubt that I can do it.

So, why do I need your help? I am strong and capable, and the NHS can provide me with an amazing day-to-day prosthetic leg, as they can for any amputee in the UK. We are very lucky. But I do not want to just live day-to-day, I thrive off the drive to better myself, as other athletes will understand. To come back better, faster, stronger. I have always been an athlete and beyond that a badminton player – representing Cornwall, Middlesex and Warwickshire, and competing on the national circuit. I would like to take that up a notch. To represent England and play the Nation Para Championships in 2024, and to have a decent chance at representing Great Britain's Para-Badminton team. To achieve this though, specialist equipment is needed. I hope to compete in the SL3 category (standing lower impairment – severe), meaning that I need a sport-specific prosthetic. This, unfortunately, is not covered by our NHS and is very expensive. Without help, I will not be able to compete at a high level. My body and attitude can, in this situation, only take me so far.

Your donations will go towards the funding of this prosthetic. They will cover the fitting and sculpting of the socket, the light-weight shaft, the carbon fibre blade and all of the work that goes towards making it for each individual. A very specialist piece of kit, one that some may consider to be a luxury. Despite this, it is something that I want to build towards. I need that goal to push myself to get better, to be better, and I truly hope that you can help me on that journey.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. There are a lot of people that need help, but I hope you feel that mine is a cause worth supporting. Thank you for your generosity.

One foot in front of the other.

Live long and prosper,

Curnow

PS. A huge thank you to Marc, Kassy, Acton Badminton and those who helped raise over £3000 for me in those early days

Your time, energy, love and generosity mean so much to me x