5 days ago
'Too much of a risk': Mark kept being turned away until he found his people
After having the door slammed in his face time after time as his disability was deemed too "risky", Mark Stephenson finally found his tribe with a volunteer sports organisation.
When the father-of-five was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease and Young Onset Lewy Body Dementia at just 54, he had to give up his beloved career as a Station Officer with the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service, as well as his driver's licence.
"It was a bit of an adjustment, being home everyday with nothing to do," Mr Stephenson said, now aged 57.
Read more in The Senior
The grandfather-of-two told The Senior Lewy Body affects younger people differently than those with more life experience.
"For older people, it's more slower in the progression of the disease normally, whereas for younger people, it's quicker. So life expectancy for someone under 60 getting it is three to seven years," he said.
After diagnosis, Mark wanted to use his extra time to give back to his community as a volunteer - but over a two-year period all the organisations Mark approached shut their doors to him. They told him he was "too much of a risk", due to the hallucinations he can sometimes have with dementia.
After the once-active fireman tried his local sports groups - and was given the same answer - he felt very isolated for the first two years following his diagnosis - only going out if his wife or friends took him.
"By this stage, I was starting to lose a lot of mobility. Lewy body attacks the brain and the spinal cord," he said.
"I'd pretty much given up and just thought, ok, I'll just sit at home and watch the world go by and wait for the Grim Reaper to knock on the door."
But things changed when Mark's wife saw a Facebook ad for wheelchair cricket and "pestered" him too give them a call.
The result changed his life.
Initally, Mark was worried Sporting Wheelies would shut their door too once they knew of his condition, but they didn't.
"It was like, 'G'day, how are you going? Yep, this is a sports wheelchair, jump in one'," he said.
"Very welcoming, very inclusive. Pretty much straight away accepted me as part of the community. No-one's judged."
Sporting Wheelies in Queensland has given Mark a "sense of purpose" and it wasn't long until he started playing wheelchair basketball, as well as wheelchair AFL.
"Sporting Wheelies is also a gateway, so they can put you in touch with wheelchair AFL, the wheelchair rugby league, wheelchair rugby," he said.
Through AFL, he is learning new skills, but it's the support and friendship that's been most rewarding.
"I'm basically a paraplegic now. But the community down there are able to help you adjust to things very easily, because people down there have lived experience," he said.
"And whether it's through accident, through injury or by disease, everyone's in the same boat, just at various stages. So there's a really good support network."
Mark wants everyone to be able to have access to sport and specialised wheelchairs, and is hoping Sporting Wheelies will attract donations and corporate sponsorship so it can include more regional areas in Queensland and then into other states.
Individuals and organisations can make a 100 percent tax-deductible donation to Sporting Wheelies before June 30 at
Share your thoughts in the comments below, or send a Letter to the Editor by CLICKING HERE.
After having the door slammed in his face time after time as his disability was deemed too "risky", Mark Stephenson finally found his tribe with a volunteer sports organisation.
When the father-of-five was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease and Young Onset Lewy Body Dementia at just 54, he had to give up his beloved career as a Station Officer with the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service, as well as his driver's licence.
"It was a bit of an adjustment, being home everyday with nothing to do," Mr Stephenson said, now aged 57.
Read more in The Senior
The grandfather-of-two told The Senior Lewy Body affects younger people differently than those with more life experience.
"For older people, it's more slower in the progression of the disease normally, whereas for younger people, it's quicker. So life expectancy for someone under 60 getting it is three to seven years," he said.
After diagnosis, Mark wanted to use his extra time to give back to his community as a volunteer - but over a two-year period all the organisations Mark approached shut their doors to him. They told him he was "too much of a risk", due to the hallucinations he can sometimes have with dementia.
After the once-active fireman tried his local sports groups - and was given the same answer - he felt very isolated for the first two years following his diagnosis - only going out if his wife or friends took him.
"By this stage, I was starting to lose a lot of mobility. Lewy body attacks the brain and the spinal cord," he said.
"I'd pretty much given up and just thought, ok, I'll just sit at home and watch the world go by and wait for the Grim Reaper to knock on the door."
But things changed when Mark's wife saw a Facebook ad for wheelchair cricket and "pestered" him too give them a call.
The result changed his life.
Initally, Mark was worried Sporting Wheelies would shut their door too once they knew of his condition, but they didn't.
"It was like, 'G'day, how are you going? Yep, this is a sports wheelchair, jump in one'," he said.
"Very welcoming, very inclusive. Pretty much straight away accepted me as part of the community. No-one's judged."
Sporting Wheelies in Queensland has given Mark a "sense of purpose" and it wasn't long until he started playing wheelchair basketball, as well as wheelchair AFL.
"Sporting Wheelies is also a gateway, so they can put you in touch with wheelchair AFL, the wheelchair rugby league, wheelchair rugby," he said.
Through AFL, he is learning new skills, but it's the support and friendship that's been most rewarding.
"I'm basically a paraplegic now. But the community down there are able to help you adjust to things very easily, because people down there have lived experience," he said.
"And whether it's through accident, through injury or by disease, everyone's in the same boat, just at various stages. So there's a really good support network."
Mark wants everyone to be able to have access to sport and specialised wheelchairs, and is hoping Sporting Wheelies will attract donations and corporate sponsorship so it can include more regional areas in Queensland and then into other states.
Individuals and organisations can make a 100 percent tax-deductible donation to Sporting Wheelies before June 30 at
Share your thoughts in the comments below, or send a Letter to the Editor by CLICKING HERE.
After having the door slammed in his face time after time as his disability was deemed too "risky", Mark Stephenson finally found his tribe with a volunteer sports organisation.
When the father-of-five was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease and Young Onset Lewy Body Dementia at just 54, he had to give up his beloved career as a Station Officer with the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service, as well as his driver's licence.
"It was a bit of an adjustment, being home everyday with nothing to do," Mr Stephenson said, now aged 57.
Read more in The Senior
The grandfather-of-two told The Senior Lewy Body affects younger people differently than those with more life experience.
"For older people, it's more slower in the progression of the disease normally, whereas for younger people, it's quicker. So life expectancy for someone under 60 getting it is three to seven years," he said.
After diagnosis, Mark wanted to use his extra time to give back to his community as a volunteer - but over a two-year period all the organisations Mark approached shut their doors to him. They told him he was "too much of a risk", due to the hallucinations he can sometimes have with dementia.
After the once-active fireman tried his local sports groups - and was given the same answer - he felt very isolated for the first two years following his diagnosis - only going out if his wife or friends took him.
"By this stage, I was starting to lose a lot of mobility. Lewy body attacks the brain and the spinal cord," he said.
"I'd pretty much given up and just thought, ok, I'll just sit at home and watch the world go by and wait for the Grim Reaper to knock on the door."
But things changed when Mark's wife saw a Facebook ad for wheelchair cricket and "pestered" him too give them a call.
The result changed his life.
Initally, Mark was worried Sporting Wheelies would shut their door too once they knew of his condition, but they didn't.
"It was like, 'G'day, how are you going? Yep, this is a sports wheelchair, jump in one'," he said.
"Very welcoming, very inclusive. Pretty much straight away accepted me as part of the community. No-one's judged."
Sporting Wheelies in Queensland has given Mark a "sense of purpose" and it wasn't long until he started playing wheelchair basketball, as well as wheelchair AFL.
"Sporting Wheelies is also a gateway, so they can put you in touch with wheelchair AFL, the wheelchair rugby league, wheelchair rugby," he said.
Through AFL, he is learning new skills, but it's the support and friendship that's been most rewarding.
"I'm basically a paraplegic now. But the community down there are able to help you adjust to things very easily, because people down there have lived experience," he said.
"And whether it's through accident, through injury or by disease, everyone's in the same boat, just at various stages. So there's a really good support network."
Mark wants everyone to be able to have access to sport and specialised wheelchairs, and is hoping Sporting Wheelies will attract donations and corporate sponsorship so it can include more regional areas in Queensland and then into other states.
Individuals and organisations can make a 100 percent tax-deductible donation to Sporting Wheelies before June 30 at
Share your thoughts in the comments below, or send a Letter to the Editor by CLICKING HERE.
After having the door slammed in his face time after time as his disability was deemed too "risky", Mark Stephenson finally found his tribe with a volunteer sports organisation.
When the father-of-five was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease and Young Onset Lewy Body Dementia at just 54, he had to give up his beloved career as a Station Officer with the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service, as well as his driver's licence.
"It was a bit of an adjustment, being home everyday with nothing to do," Mr Stephenson said, now aged 57.
Read more in The Senior
The grandfather-of-two told The Senior Lewy Body affects younger people differently than those with more life experience.
"For older people, it's more slower in the progression of the disease normally, whereas for younger people, it's quicker. So life expectancy for someone under 60 getting it is three to seven years," he said.
After diagnosis, Mark wanted to use his extra time to give back to his community as a volunteer - but over a two-year period all the organisations Mark approached shut their doors to him. They told him he was "too much of a risk", due to the hallucinations he can sometimes have with dementia.
After the once-active fireman tried his local sports groups - and was given the same answer - he felt very isolated for the first two years following his diagnosis - only going out if his wife or friends took him.
"By this stage, I was starting to lose a lot of mobility. Lewy body attacks the brain and the spinal cord," he said.
"I'd pretty much given up and just thought, ok, I'll just sit at home and watch the world go by and wait for the Grim Reaper to knock on the door."
But things changed when Mark's wife saw a Facebook ad for wheelchair cricket and "pestered" him too give them a call.
The result changed his life.
Initally, Mark was worried Sporting Wheelies would shut their door too once they knew of his condition, but they didn't.
"It was like, 'G'day, how are you going? Yep, this is a sports wheelchair, jump in one'," he said.
"Very welcoming, very inclusive. Pretty much straight away accepted me as part of the community. No-one's judged."
Sporting Wheelies in Queensland has given Mark a "sense of purpose" and it wasn't long until he started playing wheelchair basketball, as well as wheelchair AFL.
"Sporting Wheelies is also a gateway, so they can put you in touch with wheelchair AFL, the wheelchair rugby league, wheelchair rugby," he said.
Through AFL, he is learning new skills, but it's the support and friendship that's been most rewarding.
"I'm basically a paraplegic now. But the community down there are able to help you adjust to things very easily, because people down there have lived experience," he said.
"And whether it's through accident, through injury or by disease, everyone's in the same boat, just at various stages. So there's a really good support network."
Mark wants everyone to be able to have access to sport and specialised wheelchairs, and is hoping Sporting Wheelies will attract donations and corporate sponsorship so it can include more regional areas in Queensland and then into other states.
Individuals and organisations can make a 100 percent tax-deductible donation to Sporting Wheelies before June 30 at
Share your thoughts in the comments below, or send a Letter to the Editor by CLICKING HERE.
