Rory: The Comeback That Inspires Us All
As we shine a light on Men’s Month, we’re proud to share the story of Rory, a recent and truly inspiring new member of the Colets team.
Rory is our Senior Duty Manager and will soon be joining our fitness team. With 8 years of experience as a personal trainer, fitness has always been a central part of his life, not just professionally, but personally.
Rory’s journey took an unexpected and life-altering turn when he woke up one morning completely paralysed.
In this blog, Rory shares how his connection to fitness not only shaped who he was before, but ultimately helped him survive, recover, and find strength in the face of the unimaginable.
What started as numbness in my hands and feet quickly turned into full-body paralysis overnight. In March 2022, I was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS), a rare autoimmune disorder where the body's immune system attacks the nerves, causing rapid muscle weakness and paralysis in my body. Within days, my lungs collapsed, my heart failed, and I was put into an induced coma twice. I spent eight weeks in the hospital, mostly in the ICU, fighting for my life.
When I went in, I was 97kg; when I came out, I weighed under 50kg. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t go to the toilet on my own. I couldn’t even close my eyes for two weeks because my face was paralysed. All the muscle I’d built was gone. All the nerves in my body were dead. I had every excuse to stay in bed, feel sorry for myself, and give up. But I didn’t.
Looking back, I truly believe my background in fitness gave me a crucial edge not just physically, but mentally too. Years of training had conditioned my body to be strong, but more importantly, it trained my mind to stay disciplined and push through. Even when I lost my muscle, the mental strength I’d built stayed with me. It was during COVID times when visitor access was restricted and days dragged on. I had to rely on my mindset.
There wasn’t much physio support in the hospital, so I built a makeshift gym in my bed with stress balls, resistance bands, and tiny weights. Movement was the only way back, and I knew no one would do it for me. Bit by bit, I trained myself. Rebuilding my core, getting my arms strong enough to transfer into a wheelchair, relearning how to walk, type, and even turn a key.
I wrote my rehab plan, taught myself to walk again in my flat, and eventually returned to the gym. Now I go for walks daily, not just for fitness, but as a reminder that there was a time they didn’t know if I’d ever walk again.
I’ve got lasting damage, back pain, knee pain, nerve pain, even a bit of brain fog, but I still move every day because I can. And because I choose to.
To anyone reading this, whatever excuse you are telling yourself, I’ve been there. I had every reason to quit. But there’s always a way to push through. You never know what life might throw at you, but if you build strength now, you give yourself a fighting chance when it matters most. You don’t need perfect conditions. You don’t need motivation every day. You just need to start, even if it's with a stress ball in a hospital bed.
Battling with GBS transformed my outlook on training. It taught me patience, resilience, and the power of tailored support. Now, as a I step back into my personal training, that experience fuels my drive to help others push through challenges and achieve their goals.
