Maidstone boxing coach takes on London Marathon in wheelchair for daughter

KentOnline / KMTV

Wayne Smith's young daughter, Esmé, was diagnosed with a Spinal condition that left her facing life in a wheelchair.

Transcript

00:00 So Wayne and Esme join me in the studio now.

00:03 Thank you both for joining us.

00:05 Really lovely to have you here.

00:07 Wayne, we'll start with you.

00:08 How's training going?

00:09 We can see a picture of you here with your wheels.

00:10 - Yeah, it's going very well.

00:12 It's very tough as expected.

00:14 Like we've taken on a big challenge

00:16 and yeah, the training has been very, very tough

00:20 as you'd imagine it would be.

00:21 But yeah, we're going strong.

00:23 We're now in the final part.

00:25 I'm up to 15 miles so far, like what I did last week.

00:28 And in the next two weeks, I've got two long ones left

00:32 and I'm either going to stick at 17 and a half miles

00:35 or I may go for 20.

00:37 I'm going to see how I feel a little bit closer.

00:40 But we're in the final part now.

00:42 - I mean, it's incredible.

00:42 I had a chance to go on one of these wheels.

00:45 It's a rugby league wheelchair that we're using.

00:47 Really hard.

00:48 And you don't kind of think it

00:50 until you get to sit in the seat

00:51 about how hard it is to push yourself on.

00:53 - I was exactly the same.

00:54 - Yeah, what was it like when you first sat in the chair?

00:56 - I thought, what on earth have you let yourself in for?

01:00 Like, thinking about doing the challenge

01:02 and everything like that is a lot easier.

01:04 Like, say, yeah, I'll do that.

01:05 Like what I said, I'll go for it.

01:07 And I remember the first training session

01:09 going along the towpath thinking,

01:10 what on earth have you let yourself in for here?

01:13 But now we're here and we're close.

01:15 So we're very close now.

01:17 So it's been very difficult, but it's been good.

01:20 Like, I've now got the knack of it.

01:21 So we're getting there. - Yeah, of course.

01:22 Of course.

01:23 And you chose to do this, obviously,

01:25 because of Esme, who's here with us in the studio.

01:29 She's restricted to a wheelchair in her life.

01:31 You decided to take that on.

01:32 Have you been kind of, I mean,

01:34 we've got a brilliant video,

01:35 which we can play from your social media

01:36 of you two being together.

01:38 Have you had to kind of learn some stuff from her?

01:39 - Yeah, yeah, I've been watching you, haven't I?

01:41 Yeah, you've taught Daddy how to do the wheels, haven't you?

01:44 And your wheelies, the way that you fly up and down

01:46 around the house, don't you, and your wheelies.

01:48 And Daddy's been learning from you, hasn't he?

01:51 - Yeah, that's what we're gonna get.

01:53 - Yeah, of course.

01:55 And of course, Demelza, the charity,

01:57 you're doing this all for.

01:59 They've been quite instrumental in the whole journey.

02:01 - Yeah, that's it.

02:02 And since Esme was diagnosed

02:04 with spinal muscular atrophy at 18 months,

02:06 this is SMA type two, and ever since day one,

02:09 Demelza have been absolutely incredible.

02:12 They provide, before you use their service,

02:15 you don't know too much about what they do.

02:18 You just think it's a Demelza Children's Hospice,

02:20 but there's so much more.

02:22 And they've done so much for us.

02:24 Like they provide so many events,

02:27 Easter, Christmas, for all the families.

02:29 They have so much support for families

02:32 with children with disabilities

02:34 that are very sick as well, obviously.

02:37 But they do their events.

02:38 We've had use of their hydro pool.

02:41 They've got their physio that they've given to Esme as well.

02:46 And they do respite as well,

02:47 where we have someone come round once a month

02:49 and gives Emma a little break.

02:53 But it also allows more time to do some one-to-one stuff

02:56 with our son, Archie, because as you can imagine,

02:58 living with a child with a disability, it's 24/7.

03:01 So it's very challenging.

03:03 But what they do for us is absolutely brilliant.

03:06 So this is my way of saying thank you

03:08 and giving back and trying to raise

03:10 as much money as possible for them.

03:11 - Yeah, of course, you mentioned Archie there.

03:12 We can see him on the screen there,

03:13 all three of you with your wheels,

03:16 smiling greatly there.

03:17 - That was on my first half marathon,

03:19 they came and filmed me and they made some little flags

03:23 off of wooden spoons and bits of paper saying,

03:25 "Go, Daddy," and they filmed me at halfway.

03:27 - Oh, fantastic.

03:28 They'll have to do an even bigger one

03:29 for when we reach London, of course.

03:32 Talk to me, what's been the reaction from your family

03:35 and the kind of wider community?

03:38 I know you do a lot with boxing groups

03:40 around Chatham and Kent.

03:42 What's been the reaction?

03:43 - Just that I'm mad, basically.

03:47 Just that everyone's saying,

03:48 "You're absolutely bonkers for doing this,"

03:51 but that's what it's about.

03:53 I think it's 50,000-odd people running that London marathon

03:58 or 35,000, I can't remember what they said.

04:01 But for someone, I'm able-bodied, obviously,

04:04 but I have had two hip replacements,

04:05 so I could never run it even if I wanted to.

04:08 But just to do it in there,

04:10 it's going to be something extraordinary, isn't it?

04:12 So that's it, and that's what gives you the challenge

04:15 to go out and raise as much money as possible.

04:18 - Now, of course, and I mentioned

04:19 you're a boxing coach as well there.

04:22 Is there any kind of transferable skills

04:24 that you've learned about the kind of training for this?

04:26 - Yeah, yeah, definitely.

04:27 Like periodization of the training plan.

04:30 So I created my training plan,

04:32 and I'm bringing myself up,

04:33 as well as then the taper that's coming

04:35 in the last two weeks and stuff like that.

04:38 So I've been following my training plan that I set.

04:41 So having that good knowledge has helped me

04:44 and really helped the training.

04:46 So it's getting me along the way.

04:48 - And you're really active on your social media

04:50 and your Instagram, sharing this story as you go as well.

04:52 And that's where people can go to see some great videos,

04:54 some great pictures of you,

04:55 but also follow your fundraising journey too.

04:58 Can we expect a kind of Rocky-style montage

05:01 in the near future?

05:03 - That would be good, that would be good.

05:05 Luckily, I've got a videographer

05:07 that's been helping me out with some videos.

05:09 So that's a very good,

05:11 we should really lay onto that a little bit more.

05:13 - Yeah, definitely.

05:14 - No, brilliant.

05:15 You've just crossed the 7,000 pound mark,

05:18 aiming for 10,000.

05:20 Clearly quite a big response

05:22 from people wanting to help you out.

05:23 - That's right, yeah.

05:24 I'm absolutely amazed.

05:26 Like literally, we had to raise 2,000 pounds

05:31 to be at the start line,

05:32 and I reached out and I'm very lucky.

05:34 I've got all of these companies here that are on my jumper

05:37 that reached straight out, straight away

05:40 to do company sponsorship

05:41 that helped me get straight over the line.

05:43 So I raised the 2,000 pound fairly quickly

05:46 so that we were definitely at the line

05:48 and it was like, oh right,

05:49 we're definitely doing this then, that kind of moment.

05:52 And now, as you see it start growing,

05:54 it's like, let's go for 10.

05:56 Like we've got to do,

05:57 if we can get 10,000 pound for this charity

06:00 from little old me doing 26 miles in a wheelchair,

06:04 then let's do it.

06:05 So I can't thank everyone enough that's supporting it.

06:08 - Thank you so much, Wayne, for joining us today

06:10 and best of luck with the journey ahead of you.

06:12 - Brilliant, thank you very much.

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