I went blind, suffered multiple organ failure and was put in coma after eating takeaway.. now I’m competing for Team GB
LIZZI JORDAN’S life changed after she popped into a fast food restaurant for a bite to eat.
The then 19-year-old was at university in London studying psychology when her she got food poisoning.
It turned out to be a rare E.coli infection and it left her close to passing away.
Her sister also got food poisoning but recovered quickly – the same could not be said for Jordan.
The illness put her in a coma and she eventually woke up blind.
Jordan explained to the BBC: “I was very, very poorly.
“I suffered multiple organ failure and doctors warned my parents on several occasions that I might not pull through.
“I suffered multiple organ failure and doctors warned my parents on several occasions that I might not pull through.
“But thanks to use of a rare and expensive drug, they managed to get me out of the coma.
“But when I woke up I had totally lost my eyesight, which was terrifying.
“When I came home from hospital, I thought to myself ‘how am I going to live my life without sight?’
“It’s your window to the world and how you see and experience everything.
“I said ‘I’ve got two options here. I can sit around and feel really sorry for myself, or I can try and make something out of my life and actually maybe achieve something I wouldn’t have done even if I had sight.'”
With the motivation to not let her blindness hold her back, Jordan ran the London Marathon in 2019 just months after learning to walk again as she raised £19,000 for charity.
And she did not stop there as she began a career in cycling.
Jordan attended a talent ID day and caught the eye of coaches despite having limited experience on a bike before losing her vision.
She won a silver medal at the UCI Para-Cycling Track World Championship last year.
She rides a tandem bike with sighted rider Amy Cole.
And Jordan, who hails from Guildford, is now hoping to qualifying for the Paralympics in Paris next year.
British Cycling coach Helen Scott said: “I was on the programme as an athlete for 15 years – she’s better than I ever was after just three years.”
On the difficulties and ability to forge a career in sport, Jordan said: “It took a bit of my pride away having to rely on someone or asking for help.
“But I’ve learned over the six years to accept it and it’s really helped me to be exposed to the Para-sport community.
“Everybody has their struggles but we all encourage and support each other so you learn to be proud of your disability and proud of what you can do with it rather than what you can’t do.
“I think I’ve become a much better person from my experience, more open-minded and more likely to take on new challenges and just try new things than when I could see.”