Over the past seven years, Ed Jackson’s life has changed immeasurably. From a professional rugby career, to being told he’d never walk again, to watching himself on the big screen scaling the Himalayas. He shared more with editor Melissa Holmes
Naïve and sheltered… It’s not how most professional rugby players would describe their lives. But that’s how Ed Jackson feels about his life before the accident that paralysed him. “Realising how much of the world is out there – outside my rugby bubble – has been the most surprising thing about my journey,” he reveals. Since diving into the shallow end of a pool in 2017 (fracturing two vertebrae, shattering a disc, and partially crushing his spinal cord), Ed’s life has expanded well beyond that bubble. “I’ve been opened up to how many amazingly kind, generous, selfless people there are in this world who are doing all sorts of different things for other people,” he says.
REDISCOVERY
After his injury, Ed was told he’d never walk again. “My whole identity was wrapped up in being physical and playing sport,” he admits. “When I lost that, I was left wondering ‘Who am I?’.” Learning there was scope for recovery, he “set out to see how far I could go, never expecting to get to where I am now.”
Surgery, physio, marrying Lois (he met his goal of walking down the aisle), and climbing mountains make up some of Ed’s story. The latest chapter is the release of a documentary – The Mountain Within Me – which charts everything from Ed’s injury and setting up his charity Millimetres 2 Mountains (M2M), to scaling Mera Peak to raise funds for a spinal hospital in Nepal.
HIDDEN SIDES
But it’s not all majestic scenery and inspiring achievements. “The film touches on the hidden sides of disability,” reveals Ed, “like bladder, bowel, sexual function – points that cause a lot of stress and anxiety.”
The importance of supporting others is one of the film’s main messages. “And the power of community,” Ed adds, “reaching out and helping each other – not just for them, but for you as well.” This approach drives M2M, which Ed and Lois founded when he began to feel more hopeful about his future. The support of family, friends, physios and the rugby community got him to that point. Recognising many people didn’t have that support network, he established the charity.
M2M helps beneficiaries through days out in nature, expeditions abroad and monthly online catch- ups, as well as a life-changing development programme. M2M supports anyone who’s facing adversity, from depression and anxiety to spinal injuries or stroke.
HAVE AN IMPACT
“I’m fortunate to be in a position where I can have an impact on other people’s lives,” Ed explains. “That motivates me to keep going.”
“I think that having everything taken away for a while and having to contemplate it never being there again does give you a different lust for life,” he admits. “You realise it could all end tomorrow.”
The Mountain Within Me is screening at selected cinemas now.