Book features new chapters in remarkable life of Claire Lomas
Claire was competing in the Osberton Horse Trials when she came off and hit the tree, sustaining catastrophic injuries which left her paralysed from the chest down.
Her career as a chiropractor and a top level event rider ended that day and she admits she never believed she would ever be happy living a life where she was unable to walk.
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She wrote about those dark days in her first book, Finding My Feet, in 2014, which also covered the launch of her remarkable fundraising drive culminating in her walking the London Marathon course in 17 days in a robotic suit.
Fittingly, as we celebrate International Women’s Day, Claire has released her second book this week, The Bigger Picture, and once again some of the proceeds will go to the Nicholls Spinal Injury Foundation (NSIF) which is striving for a cure for paralysis.
It details the further challenges she has completed to help push her fundraising to approaching an incredible £1million.
In recent years she has combined being a mother of two young daughters with developing a new career as a motivational speaker, learning to ride motorbikes fast on a track and attaining her private pilot’s licence to fly aircraft.
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She writes about the lessons she has learned from taking on all these challenges and adapting to her limitations while also going into detail on her husband, Dan’s, struggles with OCD and how she has had to help him.
On her new book, she told the Melton Times: “Lockdown gave me the opportunity to have a bit more time at home and it was a good chance for me to write it.
“The most enjoyable thing was having such a variety of topics to write about because that is the way my life has been.
“I also talk about how I work on my physical health and the mental health aspects for me in overcoming my injury and getting to grips with my life.”
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When Claire paid an emotional visit back to the Leicestershire tree which had left her in agony with a fractured neck and a dislocated back she knew instantly that should be included on the front cover of the new book.
“I’m not unhappy with what has happened since that accident,” said Claire, who is 41.
“Going back there made me reflect on what has happened since then.
“It was quite a special moment in a way.
“If it hadn’t been for that tree I wouldn’t have done all the things that I have done.”
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It is another busy year ahead for Claire, with a packed diary of motivational talks and a number of fundraising challenges.
She returns to the Great North Run in September, when Dan and her friend Stu will take on the course with her in wheelchairs.
And Claire is looking for team members to join her in the Great South Run in October.
Go to Claire’s website at www.claireschallenge.co.uk to buy a copy of her book and find out more about it.