Karl Anthony

A motorcycle accident left Karl potentially unable to walk unaided for the rest of his life. His dramatic rehabilitation to full mobility led him to become a qualified personal trainer and during his work with clients he realised his own experience could help others with their recovery. He is now studying for a sports therapy degree at the University of East London.

Following my accident I was told I would never return to an active lifestyle. This motivated me to learn about rehabilitation and strength and conditioning so that I could go further than the limitations placed on me. My goal is to create a new system of rehabilitation that blends the principles of strength and conditioning and sports therapy to ensure that nobody else is told they won’t ever be able to do the things they enjoy again.

Before starting my degree I completed New Beginnings, a 10- week preparation course for mature learners. I was suffering with PTSD and social anxiety and found being in large groups very stressful. I am now coping very well, and this has also improved my interpersonal relationships outside of university.  also worried that I was not smart enough as I have been out of education for a long time and have dyslexia which makes producing written work difficult. By developing coping strategies to work around the dyslexia I have received good grades.

This has boosted my confidence to the point where I know I will succeed and make a meaningful change to the world of sports therapy.

Caroline McGlynn, pre-entry programmes leader at University of East London, said “Karl has started on a long journey of academic study and professional practice. With the  determination shown during his recovery and at the start of his studies, I have no doubt that he will make a huge contribution to the field.”