Former event rider Claire Lomas — who was paralysed from the chest down in a fall six years ago — is writing a book about her life.
“I’ve been wanting to write one for a while, but it’s hard to know how to start,” Claire told H&H.
“I thought now was a good time as with winter coming I can really crack on with it. I’ve made a list of all the main things I want to include and I’m going to write a couple of chapters and then approach a publisher.
“I was going to have someone ghost-write it for me, but I thought it really needs to come straight from me. You can talk to someone but no one really knows what you’ve gone through.”
Although she completed the London Marathon last year and a 640km hand cycle ride in May, Claire said writing a book could be her “biggest challenge yet”.
And Claire will be writing the book long hand.
“It’s easier to open up with a pen and paper,” she added. “It’s an emotional process though and quite draining. It will take me back to some pretty horrific times. But I want to help others too, even if you’re just a bit down, to show you can bounce back. My daughter, meeting Dan [her husband], doing the marathon — that all happened after my accident.
“There are a lot of emotions to get across. I want to show what it’s really like having a spinal injury.”
