Jamie, 44, became the first person with the debilitating condition, Lower Limb Bilateral Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) to reach the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro wearing pioneering leg braces in 2024 and Mount Everest Base Camp South using specialist crutches in 2022.
The Lincolnshire-based trailblazing adventurer, motivational speaker and resilience champion, whose extraordinary journey from paralysis to pushing personal and physical boundaries has redefined what it means to never give up will share his journey of triumph from paralysis to peaks in ‘An Audience with Jamie McAnsh’ at Louth Riverhead Theatre in support of the charity Oddballs Foundation, which raises awareness of Testicular Cancer.
Eleven years ago the former salesman’s life was suddenly turned upside down when he went to bed and woke up paralysed from the waist down, following a bout of shingles.
“My life turned upside down overnight,” he said.
He was eventually diagnosed with CRPS, an uncommon neurological condition which causes persistent severe and debilitating pain that can be triggered by an injury or virus for which there is no cure, but refused to give up.
“I had shingles in November 2013 which attacked my spinal column. I went to bed on January 6, 2014 and had a massive spasm, which ruptured my spine and woke up the following morning paralysed from the waist down,” he explained.
The former climber, avid runner and motorbike enthusiast embarked on a long and gruelling recovery, during which, he was diagnosed with cancer and hit rock bottom.
“That’s when my life changed and I found support and a network of people.”
“Through physiotherapy, hydrotherapy, electroshock therapy and mental health therapy I started to build my confidence.”
Determined not to let his severe disability affect his ambitions, Jamie battled against adversity and found relief in sport, defying the odds to complete 12 extreme challenges in 12 months, raising £250,000 for charity.
He has played wheelchair basketball for Cardiff and is a capped former international wheelchair rugby player for Wales, as well as becoming the first disabled squash player to compete in the Welsh Open Masters tournament against able-bodies players.
He gained some mobility but relied on a wheelchair and specialist crutches to help him walk.
Jamie transformed his adversity into a beacon of inspiration, receiving the Charles Holland bravery award in the ‘Against All Odds’ category in 2015.
For the past year Jamie has been wearing composite carbon fibre legs called ‘Sprystep’ KAFOS (Knee, Ankle and Foot Orthoses) made by the pioneering orthotics firm Thuasne UK, which he describes as ‘life-changing’.
The TEDx speaker and disability champion, who earlier this year relocated from South Wales to Scampton, near Lincoln, works as an inclusivity ambassador for one of the UK’s leading growth consultancies, Leicestershire-based Champions (UK) plc and travels around the world giving inspirational talks about his struggles, challenges and success. His motto is to ‘always get back up.’
‘An Evening With Jamie McAnsh’ takes place at Louth Playgoers Riverhead Theatre, Louth in Lincolnshire at 7.30pm on Sunday, August 31. Tickets are £24.79 from louthriverheadtheatre.com
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Jamie-Mcansh completed 12 extreme challenges in 12 months Photo: Submitted
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Jamie training in the Brecon Beacons, Wales. Photo: Submitted
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Jamie McAnsh reaching Everest Base Camp Photo: Submitted
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An Evening With Jamie McAnsh is coming to Louth Photo: Submitted