‘If I’m told not to do something, I’m more determined to do it’
Mo O’brien, 61, has overcome many challenges in her life and is the first deaf person on record to row across the Atlantic
Everyone thought I was shy growing up, but I was born with nerve damage in my ears and was almost completely deaf. It went undiagnosed and, as a result, my childhood was pretty lonely. I was put at the back of the class for being ‘slow’ and avoided team sports. I learned how to lip read, but it was only in my 30s that I finally had tests and got hearing aids.
By then, I was living by the sea in Cornwall with my daughters, Naomi and Bird. Among other things, I wanted to join a local rowing club, but I thought my deafness would make me a liability. But, a few years later, when a friend pulled out of a backpacking trip, I realised it was time to change my attitude. So I went on my own, and loved it. At last, I woke up to the fact that my disability didn’t need to hold me back. I also went cycling in Kenya and, finally, joined that rowing club.
A NEW CHALLENGE
As I approached my 60th birthday, I decided to take on a new challenge. I was inspired after reading Four Mums In A Boat, a book about women who rowed 3,000 miles in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge. ‘If they can do it, why can’t I?’ I thought. My daughter, Bird, said she’d join me, along with two friends, Linda, who I knew through rowing, and Claire, who didn’t row, but wanted an adventure. My partner, Pete, reluctantly gave me his blessing. Friends tried to put me off, but if I’m told not to do something, I’m more determined to do it!
We would train every weekend and as many weekdays as possible. We also had to raise £100,000 to enter and buy a boat. A sponsor, GN Hearing, gave me some Resound hearing aids. They had a microphone that one of the team could wear around their neck, so I would hear them clearly, which helped my confidence.
At last, in November 2019, we arrived in the Canary Islands, where the race started. In the last weeks of preparations, Linda was so badly seasick, she had to pull out. It was too late to get anyone else, so we continued as a trio, despite our name being the Oarsome Foursome!
We set off on 12 December in our boat, Liberty. Within 15 minutes, we were alone in the ocean. The first night, the sea was so rough that we couldn’t row and we lay on deck, holding on to the ropes for dear life. I had a bad reaction to a seasickness patch, too, which caused blisters in my mouth, so for the first six days I couldn’t eat anything and could only drink water through a straw.
We would row for two hours on and two hours off. I couldn’t hear the sea, so I was constantly being knocked out of my seat. But each time, I picked myself up and carried on. Rowing at night was magical. The stars looked like someone had sprinkled a pot of glitter across the sky. Another memorable moment was seeing an orca whale and her calf.
The last few days were the toughest as, determined to finish by the end of January, we rowed non-stop for 48 hours. It was a triumphant moment when we reached Antigua on 31 January 2020. We finished 24th and were the fastest female trio with a time of 49 days, 13 hours and 49 minutes.
I became the first deaf woman to row across the Atlantic and I still can’t quite believe I did it. My mum used to say ‘nothing is impossible’ and she was right. Whatever you want to do, disability or not, just go for it.
I realised my disability didn’t need to hold me back