to get me to listen , but school simply didn ’ t inspire me or make me want to learn ,” explains Gaven . |
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His conditions also affected his patience , making it hard to do the simplest task , and he became more and more impatient with himself . “ I couldn ’ t study for a test , and I felt like the simplest tasks were above me .” His parents therefore had him assessed , to try and understand his learning difficulties . “ They put me in a room , put a marshmallow on the table and said if I didn ’ t eat it , I would get another one when the assessor came back . He had just closed the door and I ate it , because I knew it was a test , but they told my parents I would never amount to anything .” |
However , Gaven discovered that with every weakness they told him he had , there was also a strength waiting to be unveiled , and that is what drove him forward . “ What I did discover was that I was very strong when it came to problem-solving , and analytical thinking . I am incredibly detail-orientated , and don ’ t ever tell me no , because I believe every problem has a solution .” Gaven also found that he had tremendous focus and determination on the sports fields , and excelling at |
most sports , including BMX and motocross racing , not only brought him the praise that he so craved , but helped him to overcome the stigma that surrounded the chronic conditions he suffered from .
One Step at a Time
Many years later and Gaven is still using his sporting talents to make his mark , but now with solo , unsupported expedition challenges instead of school team sports . These challenges require not only physical effort , but serious mental strength as well , as Gaven once again realised on the first day of the Heel2Heal Challenge . “ The first 40km saw me running
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in rain , with a dustbin bag over me , into a beautiful PE headwind . What a welcome ! Running on beach is challenging as it is , but starting the journey with such a hard stage meant that the mind games started early ,” says Gaven .
Thankfully , having pushed his body to the limits before , he knew how far he could go , and when he needed to rest . “ My ankle started becoming sensitive , but I didn ’ t want this to be a race – my priority was to take 30 days , but my biggest priority was just to finish ,” and with that in mind , Gaven made sure to listen to what his body was telling him each day .
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Images : Courtesy Gaven Sinclair |