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Ed Jackson

Hi i’m Ed. In April 2017 I broke my neck diving into a swimming pool. The accident left me paralysed from the shoulders down and cut short my professional rugby career. This blog documents my journey from the first few days in intensive care to who knows where…..

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Day 996

Time for a change?

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Day 960

Being a quadriplegic in the mountains.

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Day 958

M2M's Mera Peak Expedition

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Day 922

Nepal | The Journey Begins

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Day 889

A week in Chamonix

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Day 879

Sharing is caring

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Day 864

Molly

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Transition is kind of like relationships (but not really). . I often find it hard to focus. I sit down in front of my computer and my brain just flits from one thing to another. Sometimes it’s because I don’t know where to start but often it’s because I have too many things I ‘could’ be doing. Gone are the rugby days where I could just look at the schedule; where to be, what to wear, even what to eat. The only decision I had to make back then was whether it was going to be Costa or Starbucks after training. . Choice is a luxury but it can also be debilitating if you’re not used to it. On the whole professional sportsmen and women are very good at being told what to do. In fact a large part of the reason you become professional is down to how well you take instruction and commit yourself to what your coach/manager/trainer tells you. So it’s no surprise that after years of becoming good at taking orders it’s a bit of a shock when the doors are blown off, the world is laid out in front of you and you’re being asked to make decisions, big decisions. . Don’t panic. It’s actually very rare that someone knows exactly what they want to do next but that doesn’t mean you cant find out. For a long time I was one of those players burying their head in the sand, not wanting to think about what’s next. The problem with being that person is when it ends you find yourself having to jump into the first thing that comes along without the time or ability to find something you might actually be passionate about. This doesn’t have to be the case. There are other things out there that you can become equally passionate about, you just have to give yourself time to find them...and actually look. . Start early. The key is to find that thing before you make the leap. It’s like relationships; you don’t really stop thinking about your ex until you fall for someone else…except this time you need to start looking before you’re single...(so actually it's nothing like relationships)...you know what i mean. But if you haven’t started early fear not, it’s never too late to make a change. . 📸 @thatcameraman #transition #mm2mountains #change #relationship #choice #rugby #career
Natural healings . So we managed to find an opening between Ciara and Dennis (they’re storms, before you get any ideas) to head for the hills. The Peak District was the destination, school mate Rich and brother Josh were the company. I like to try and spend time outside in nature every day, usually it’s fleeting, a dog walk or the like. Why does a dog walk need to be fleeting you might ask, well if you don’t know then you clearly haven’t seen my dog. Every now and again though I like to go on longer jaunts, either by myself or occasionally a few days away with the wife and/or friends. Why? . 1. Relationships - There’s no better quality time with people than walking and talking together, preferably with no phone signal. Quality time personified. . 2. Physical - I don’t need to go into the physical health benefits of walking, they’re undeniable, what I will say though is that it’s one of those rare ways of getting fitter, leaner and healthier without the pain. I say this with the caveat that walking can be painful if you do it at 6000m with no sleep but i'm not winging, it was self afflicted. . 3. Mental - This is the big one, the main reason I actually schedule time into my diary to get outdoors and disappear. - Thinking Time | If Bill Gates needs to work something out in that giant brain of his he dons his boots and heads outside. It’s said that the most important conversations you will ever have are with yourself but with the constant input of modern day life we barely give ourselves time to think. If I leave the headphones at home and turn the phone off I often find I finish the walk with a lot more answers than questions. . If thats not enough it has proven to improve self-perception, self-esteem, mood and sleep quality, and reduce stress, anxiety and fatigue. Talk about killing a whole flock of birds with one stone (thats a metaphor by the way, I love animals). I would go as far to say that it is the single most important thing I do for my physical and more importantly mental well-being. If you don’t already, get outside and have a bloody good walk...after Dennis has buggered off...🚶🏼 . #mm2mountains #walking #getoutside #nature #headspace @berghausofficial
On Tuesday evening Lois stumbled through the door clutching what looked like the entire Chelsea flower show. It had been her last full day as Bath Academy Netball manager and something told me that they were sad to see her go… who wouldn’t be... . I’m so proud of what you’ve achieved in Netball but i’m even more proud that you’ve had the confidence to step away and follow our dream. . Definitely couldn’t do this without you + now you get to spend even more time with me...lucky you! 😁 . Oh and happy valentines ❤️ . #mm2mountains #charity #dreambig #followyourdreams #husbandandwife #climb #beat #change
Ed Jackson
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