Despite only taking up wheelchair curling two years ago, Jackie Cayton is on course to represent Great Britain at the Winter Paralympic Games in Vancouver in 2010.

She has overcome huge adversity to become an international athlete, although she is modest about her own achievements, and her curling has helped her cope with a life threatening condition.

Jackie (38), from Elgin, developed curvature of the spine aged nine and has endured a series of painful procedures and operations to ease her condition.

She was in plaster from her hips to her shoulders initially in a bid to correct the problem.

And over the last 20 years she has spent much of her time in hospital, receiving treatment at St James' Hospital in Leeds, which has become renowned for spinal surgery.

"My last period in hospital was for 31/2 years during which time I had seven surgeries," she said.

"I get a lot of pain and take a huge amount of painkillers. Concentrating on my curling has helped me cope with the pain. I don't feel I have done anything special, I just get on with things."

Jackie needs yet another operation where surgeons will try to straighten her back.

"My heart and lungs are being crushed by my ribs and it will kill me without the surgery. I have difficulty with my breathing at times," she said.

She is hoping NHS Grampian will sanction the £50,000 surgery, which will have to be done at a specialist hospital in Bristol following the retirement of her former surgeon in Leeds.

In the meantime she will continue with a comprehensive training programme over the summer to stay in shape for the new curling season later in the year.

Jackie, who is originally from Northamptonshire but moved to Moray over five years ago, has earned a place in the Grampian Institute of Sport as one of the top 14 wheelchair curlers in the UK.

"This opens the doors to many things, including personal profiles with a doctor, physiotherapist and sports dietician which will help me hopefully achieve my goals and optimise my performance," she said.

Last year she earned a place on the Scottish Development Squad and was a member of the Scottish team which travelled to New York.

She also played for Team GB in Canada where she won her first gold medal. At the same time Jackie and the team got a look inside the new ice stadium built for the Olympics.

"It was a fantastic stadium and that has made me even more determined to get to the Olympics."

Jackie will need to muscle her way into the top six curlers in Great Britain to be in with a chance of making it to the Olympics.

Olympic dream... Jackie Cayton. NS

"I now have a very vigorous regime, with athletic training, strength and conditioning and maintaining a healthy lifestyle too."

She goes to the gym twice a week and plans a number of short and long distance wheelchair runs.

However, her current wheelchair is not suitable for long distance pushing and Jackie is desperate to get her hands on a proper racing chair or handbike which will boost her Olympic chances.

She hopes to do that through sponsorship and help from the public and is willing to promote any supporters on her chair and clothing.

Jackie plans to compete in the Great North Run in September in support of Breast Cancer Care in memory of her sister Joanne (31) who died from the disease nine years ago.

And she will race the Benromach Forres 10k on May 10 in a borrowed chair.

That is all a far cry from just over two years ago when she would have laughed at suggestions of being an athlete and dreaming of the Olympics.

"When I first went to the curling I thought there were goalposts at each end of the ice rink," she recalled.

A group of friends from the Moray Resource Centre – an invaluable meeting place in Elgin which has helped Jackie and her partner Paul Taylor, himself in a wheelchair, come through some difficult times with the support of others in the same position – decided to set up a sporting club.

"We agreed there weren't any sports for disabled people to do so we decided to set up a club. We tried a few sports but curling was the one we went for."

The Moray Wheelchair Curling Club meets on a Monday and Wednesday at Moray Leisure Centre during the curling season from September to March.

Jackie was very quickly hooked by the sport and realised that she had some talent for the game.

She has set up a special bank account to boost her Olympic hopes and anyone who would like to support her can contact her on 07877 123315 or e-mail jackie_cayton@hotmail.com

c.saunderson@northern-scot.co.uk

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