The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Ex-army figure triumphs over adversity
athletics: Laura Fermor to represent UK nine years after career-ending injury
A former Tayside army captain has been chosen to represent Team GB after enduring nine years of surgical hell.
Laura Fermor, 34, served for seven years in the Royal Logistic Corps, before being medically retired in October 2013 after suffering life-changing injuries in 2008.
The former Carnoustie High School pupil suffered with depression as her health struggles took their toll but she eventually won a five-figure payout after a long-running battle.
Laura has been selected to represent Team GB at this year’s Warrior Games, which will be held in Chicago at the end of June.
She said: “The past nine years have been a surgical marathon from hell, with drastic action in the form of bilateral hip replacements being necessary by the time I was 30.
“I struggled with every aspect of the new life I was forced to adapt to, and found myself becoming more and more isolated as my injuries progressed.
“After my hip replacement surgeries, I had hoped to return to an almost normal life pattern, only for this to be pushed further out of reach as it became apparent that my knees required surgical attention too.
“The added strain on them during the years of my hip injuries has caused quite severe cartilage damage, for which I have already had three surgical procedures.”
Laura, who was born in Dundee and attended Monikie Primary School, now lives in Spittalfield, Perthshire, with her husband Kevin.
The St Andrews University graduate sustained her injury while conducting a fundraising march along Hadrian’s Wall in May 2008 with the corps.
She said: “My surgeon advised me to set some achievable goals to aim for, as a way of keeping me moving forwards, and I decided to get back into the swimming pool to train.
“In my younger days, I was a competitive swimmer, so this seemed a good place to start.”
She continued: “Initially it was hard to have the confidence to get back into the water, which was something I hadn’t done for years, and as a result, I had lost almost all of my fitness levels.
“I had physical limitations which I had to face, and find a way past, but with perseverance it slowly became easier.”
The Warrior Games is a US military, inter-service, multi-sports competition that takes place annually and is led by the US Department of Defence.
Laura will be competing in swimming, seated shot putt, rifle shooting, recumbent cycling and 100m and 200m wheelchair racing.