|
|
|
 | |  |
| Home » News » Sheffield’s fallen Olympian beats heartbreak and floods to hit back at 80
 |
 |
 |
|
| Sheffield’s fallen Olympian beats heartbreak and floods to hit back at 80 |
 Reginald deSoysa has survived Olympic heartbreak, ill health and floods but is now enjoying a new lease of life by focusing on exercise at a Sheffield sports centre.
Reg is a member of a very exclusive club of sportsmen who have represented their country at the Olympics in more than one sport.Or at least he would have been if he’d not broken his leg two weeks before the Helsinki games in 1952.
But perhaps the biggest success of ‘the life and times of Reginald deSoysa’ is the most recent battle he has faced, and is still facing, at Concord Sports Centre, in Shiregreen.Bombay-born Reg, now 80, was due to represent India in the 100m and 200m relay events as well as hockey. He had the world at his feet until he broke his leg when he stepped in to help friends in a local football match two weeks before his scheduled trip to the Olympics in Finland.
“I was well and truly blasted by the media at the time, and rightly so I suppose, but I couldn’t let my friends down and nobody was more devastated than me,” said Reg, who has lived in Sheffield since he left Bombay in 1956, four years after his career-ending injury. “I was clocking 10.4 seconds in the 100 metres and 21.1 for the 200 metres and it was five years of blood, sweat and tears up in smoke. But maybe it has stood me in good stead for the challenge of getting myself fit again at 80.”
Fast forward 50 years and he has immersed himself in South Yorkshire living, enjoying a successful career as a metallurgist, a happy marriage and four loving children and four grandchildren.
He initially studied mechanical engineering at Sheffield College of Technology and Commerce and later qualified as a metallurgist. His career, which began at Firth Vickers Stainless Steels, saw him spend 20 years at city giant Sandersons, specialising in special tool and die steels as well as high speed steels. During this time he gained the equivalent of three degrees from Sheffield Hallam University.
It was this dedication, characteristic of Reg’s career, that has shone through in his personal battle against the effects of a heart attack, thought to be the result of caring for wife Betsy for the last 15 years, and the realisation that his own health was deteriorating.
“I’ve always been fit and healthy. I played and coached hockey and table tennis teams in Sheffield for years throughout my working life and in retirement but looking after my wife has taken its toll.”
“Fortunately working with Dave at Concord has helped me immeasurably; it was the beginning of a new era for me. I cannot express enough my thanks to Dave and his expertise and understanding of what I have been through.
“My muscles were wasting away and I couldn’t believe how weak I was; the simplest exercise and I struggled. But the fitness sessions I’ve been doing with Dave have really got me going again and long may it continue.”
Reg was referred to Dave Birds, one of the region’s top rehabilitation specialists, at Concord Sports Centre for a 12-week programme of cardiac physiotherapy and a series of one-on-one and group training sessions.
He worked on regaining muscle that he’d lost and has developed from three minutes of cardiovascular exercise at a time to 30 minutes and counting.
Reg suffered a large heart attack in May 2007, something that he admits knocked him for six, but the floods that followed that summer really hit home.
“It was tough, the heart attack really shook me and made me realise I was much weaker than I was used to being.
“I knew I needed to do something about it for myself as well as Betsy - she is my life but she has deteriorated so much she is in full time care now and I only see her three times a week.
“I left the hospital at the back end of May but I was scared to the extent I would crawl up the stairs for fear of falling over. But then the floods came and my problems were multiplied.”
Last summer’s floods devastated parts of the city and Reg’s home in Firth Park escaped the damage some of the others suffered. But with the city at a standstill, his meals could not be delivered, his phone line was down for 10 days and the leak in his kitchen ceiling was getting worse by the hour.
“It was a terrifying experience, I felt totally cut adrift. Fortunately I have good neighbours who helped me out but it was an awful experience – ten days is a long time to be in a situation like that.
“I was depressed and so weak I went back to the Northern General and demanded some rehab. In December I was finally offered a course of cardiac rehab eight months after I first went in. When it ended I knew I needed more and pestered them until I got it and I went to work with Dave at Concord!”
Dave’s work and commitment to Concord’s GP Referral Scheme has been rewarded with an accreditation by Activity Sheffield, a local government initiative that recognises best practices in physical rehabilitation. He now specialises in cardiac rehabilitations.
Dave said: “Reg came here desperate to work hard on his physical fitness and was, and still is, a complete joy to work with.
“We took it steady at first but he is a proud man with a fantastic sporting history and he is getting fitter and stronger every week.
“His commitment to the GP Referral programme is second to none and he still trains in here twice a week. I change his training regime around when he needs it and I keep an eye on him when he’s in the gym. He’s a fantastic character and he likes to gets on with things.”
Concord was one of the first organisations across Sheffield to achieve this status specialising in one-to-one sessions for people with medical conditions and Reg is one of the scheme's major success stories.
He has long since stopped coaching hockey and table tennis teams in Sheffield but with sport in his blood his ultimate aim is to play badminton again – although he admits this may be unlikely.
“I still love to play table tennis so I come up on Mondays and Thursdays to the Free Spirit sessions at Concord and I play with the other wrinklies!
“It has given me a new lease of life. I know I cannot expect to attain the fitness levels I once enjoyed but I feel the progressive regime that Dave has produced got me has given me a wonderful sense of well-being. I know there is a long road ahead but at least I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
To find out more about the GP Referral Scheme available at Concord Sports Centre call 0114 257 0053 or visit www.concordsportscentre.co.uk |
|
 |
|
 |
| |
|
