When Jack was at Primary School a teacher noticed that he struggled to get up from the floor at the end of assembly and was often the last one out of the room. She mentioned this concern to Jack’s parents, and they took him for a blood test. He was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy aged 5.  

Jack recalls having a happy childhood before his diagnosis. He is the youngest of 5, with 3 sisters and a brother. Jack remembers his dad selling his car to fund a 2-week trip to Disneyland Florida while Jack was still able. He thinks this was dad’s way of bringing some happiness to the family following his life-changing diagnosis.

Jack was well-supported through primary school and enjoyed being there, but his condition slowly worsened, and he began using a mobility scooter in Year 6, aged 10. While this helped for a short while, Jack made the decision to start using a motorised wheelchair in Year 7.

The challenges of Covid really hit Jack hard. He describes himself as a ‘worrier’ and said the pandemic led him to starve himself and stop sleeping. His anxiety got so bad that it frequently made his physically sick. Jack’s condition has weakened his immune system meaning he was more vulnerable to Covid. This contributed to Jack’s anxiety and meant that he and his family followed strict restrictions. When his school eventually reopened post-Covid he really struggled to attend. Jack describes crying hysterically in the car on the way to school each day. There was an incident at school where Jack vomited on himself. He described the intense embarrassment he felt that day, not being able to clean himself up and waiting for someone to help. This incident, combined with his debilitating anxiety led Jack to withdraw from school entirely. Despite being out of full-time education Jack managed to achieve a GCSE in Maths and English.

In his spare time Jack loves to play wheelchair football. He plays competitively for Norwich FC and says this has helped him get back out there and make friends with people of all ages who share his condition.

Jack is aware that his condition is life-limiting. As he gets older, he gets weaker. Since being at Innov8 Jack’s mobility in his hands has worsened. Jack is a joy to have at innov8 and he has built positive relationships with several members of staff. He says he doesn’t like to think too much about the future and knows that ‘everyone is different, I don’t want to know how long I’ve got, I just want to go with the flow’.

Jack started at Innov8 in October 2023 after deciding against going to college. He is passionate about mechanics and loves coming to the Innov8 Bike workshop. His dream is to sell cars and his face lights up when talking about all the supercars he sees on TikTok. Jack thinks Innov8 has really helped his confidence grow and when asked about it he said ‘if it wasn’t for this place, I’d still be in a state. Innov8 has helped me feel like myself again and have a safe space where I know people will listen to my worries.’

We are so proud of Jack’s progress; he has gained skills and confidence, and we love to see his cheeky smile and laugh at his sarcastic jokes when he’s here. His outlook on life is an inspiration to us all.