Help Chair on Cameron

Having been born with a quadruple limb deficiency – meaning I only have to my knees on both legs, one nearly complete arm, and one three-quarter length arm – it's not easy finding a team sport that you enjoy!

I am asking for help to purchase a new wheelchair rugby chair so I can continue to be involved in the sport and challenge myself.

Wheelchair rugby is a bit of a crash and bash sport, putting the specially designed wheelchair through their paces well and truly.

The cost of a new chair is just under $8000 but I have managed to strike a deal with the makers to get it half price.

However, there are not many organisations I can go to for funding – mainly because for players classified as 'amputees' like myself there are no funding avenues for sports grants.

New Zealand's wheelchair rugby team is known at the 'Wheel Blacks', of which I am part of.

Last year we achieved a top eight finish at World Championships in August last year which has boosted us back into the top competitions around the world.

However, the World Championships was just phase one of the plan.

The Wheel Blacks have an international series in Auckland against Australia in May (1st, 2nd, and 3rd) which is to be the start of an ongoing trans-Tasman battle between the two countries. Our dream, though, is to qualify for the 2016 Paralympics in Rio and show the world what the Wheel Blacks can do!

While originally from a swimming background – winning two gold medals in world record times from the Beijing and London Paralympics – I added wheelchair rugby to my sporting CV in 2007. Currently I'm still swimming for New Zealand with the aim too of making it to the Rio Paralympics next year.

My disability means I get around on two prothetic legs which can make life difficult at times, although for the most part they are a huge benefit in terms of mobility.

If you've never heard of wheelchair rugby it is essentially bumper cars crossed with netball, basketball, and grid iron. As part of it we used specially designed wheelchair chairs which are built to withstand full chair-on-chair contact.

In the past New Zealand has been a bit of a powerhouse in international wheelchair rugby, winning gold at the 2004 Athens Paralympics, but currently we are at the tail end of a rebuilding phase.

As part of that rebuilding phase I have been thrust into international competitions in various roles - even leading the haka at times.

Planned for later in the year is a wheelchair rugby competition which will run in conjunction with the Rugby World Cup in London and an Oceania competition. Both of these competitions will be integral in the overall goal of a podium finish in 2016 at the Paralympics.

Right throughout my sporting career – which dates back to 2001 when I began as a chubby 11-year-old swimmer – I have appreciated my support network, often thanking them when appropriate for helping me get to where I have.

I hope you consider supporting me in my dreams of being part of a Paralympic medal winning Wheel Black team.