Anna Stern

Meet Anna, who spent her entire life competing in elite, high-performance sports programs in both soccer and rugby. Sport was so intertwined with her identity that when she acquired a disability at age 22, she felt she had lost everything. She could no longer participate in the sports to which she had dedicated so much time and which were also her source of community, belonging, and self-esteem.

Anna is a multiple cancer survivor and was originally diagnosed when she was 8 years old. Her illness and the long-term effects of treatments caused her disabilities. She has hearing loss and a neurological movement disorder called dystonia, which causes hypertonia and dyskinesia, affecting all the muscles on the right side of her body. She also has multiple learning difficulties, which made school and formal education very challenging. She always found a sense of belonging in sport, as it was the only thing that came naturally to her.

“Access to sports changed my life. When I acquired my disability, I felt very lost, alone, and angry. I thought I had lost sports forever, which triggered a kind of identity crisis because so much of who I was was tied to being an athlete. No longer being able to play on the mainstream teams I was on instantly changed my day-to-day social interactions. I lost my community and my sense of normalcy. Regaining access to sports pulled me out of a very dark place.

Participation in sports can also be very formative during childhood. Sports teach us to face challenges, cope with failure, persevere through difficulties, and build relationships and trust with those around us. These are life skills that carry over into our daily lives, throughout our entire lives.”