"Means the world": Visually impaired athlete to represent Canada at CrossFit games
Sarah Perry has been on the sidelines since the age of five when she was diagnosed with a brain tumour that gave her a 50/50 chance of survival.
Perry beat the odds. But, the subsequent craniotomy and chemotherapy left her 75% blind, leaving her unable to participate in most sports despite it being her passion.
“I was not able to participate in gym and I wasn’t able to participate in any ball sports, so I was always sort of standing on the sidelines,” said Perry. “But at the same time, my heart and my passion was for sports.”
She never gave up on her sporting aspirations and is set to represent Canada at the CrossFit Games in August.
View this post on Instagram
The athlete, who lives in Richmond, BC, is thrilled to be attending and was in disbelief at seeing her invitation.
“It’s just surreal having that happen,” said Perry. “I remember watching that documentary on Netflix and I thought to myself, man, these men, and women are so strong, and I would one day want to be just like them.”
While the athlete is excited to go to the competition, she has persevered through many trials and tribulations to get there, including 10 brain surgeries in the last five years.
“Every time I have surgery, it’s a setback and it’s so frustrating. But every single time you have a choice whether to stay down or get back up and I just have the determination and drive to keep going,” said Perry.
Making the cut for the CrossFit Games “means the world” for the athlete after struggles with fitting in both the regular sporting world and the Paralympics.
“Somebody who was sighted had deemed me not blind enough to be participating in the Paralympics. I couldn’t either participate in regular sports or the Paralympics, so I was at a loss of what category I fell into.”
View this post on Instagram
While Perry has overcome some of the hardest obstacles in achieving her sporting dreams, there is one final obstacle: funding her trip.
Similar to many athletes, the cost of competing is high and comes amidst heavy financial obligations and pressures.
The athlete has set up a GoFundMe page to help fund her trip and is just over halfway there in her fundraising efforts.
Perry hopes to inspire others so she can “help those people in the world who feel that there is no option… there is always an option to get back up and strive to be the best.”