ATHLETE WHO HAD TO PAY
Heather Greenaway A young sportswoman who crowdfunded £10,000 to have her leg amputated has become one of the world’s top para-canoeists.
Hope Gordon, 24, who only took up the sport a year ago, took a fifth place at last week’s world championships in Hungary.
The athlete, who had to self-fund her amputation after the NHS refused to remove her left leg, now has her sights set on the Paralympics in Toyko 2020.
Hope spent five years begging doctors to amputate her leg after an agonising neurological condition left her in a wheelchair at 16. She says that by losing it, she has gained a life.
Since her operation in 2016, she has represented Scotland in swimming, but it’s her switch in the last 12 months to para- canoeing that has led to her breakthrough on the international stage.
Hope’s incredible bravery and selfless determination has earned her the first nomination in our 2020 Young Scot Awards, in the Young Hero category.
The canoeist, from Rogart, Sutherland, who is also an ambassador for amputee charity Finding Your Feet, said: “For me, having my leg amputated wasn’t the end. It was just the beginning, and aimed me An extraordinary young person or group who deserves special recognition for their bravery. Someone who has shown amazing courage, battled the odds or showed incredible perseverance to save the day.
Celebrates work by a young person or group that improves the lives of other people in a community.
down what turned out to be a better path.
“I am a great believer that everything happens for a reason, although when I was in crippling pain and having to f ight to have my leg removed it didn’t seem like that.
“Everything that has happened to me has shaped me in a positive way. It has taught me to appreciate life and not to take anything for granted, which is a great mantra to live life by.”
Hope earned last week’s fifth place in the 200m at the Canoe Sprint World Championships. She said: “It was pretty