Elite wheelchair rugby athlete Kylie Grimes has become our newest Appeal Ambassador

Posted by Tamsin Roberts on 04 November 2013

The RNOH Appeal is delighted to announce that Kylie Grimes, GB Wheelchair Athlete, has agreed to become an official Ambassador for the RNOH Appeal, helping the RNOH Charity to achieve its goal of raising £15 million for new equipment and facilities at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital.

Kylie said of her decision to become an Ambassador:  ‘When the RNOH Charity approached me to ask for my support, I said ‘yes’ straight away.  There is no other hospital like the RNOH in the world; the medical staff and treatment are second to none, but the facilities are in desperate need of improvement.  I was honoured to be asked to support their efforts to bring the hospital into the 21st Century and am looking forward to working with them to raise vital funds and on-going support.’ 

25 year old Kylie was injured in a swimming pool accident in August 2006 when she was just 18.  The accident left her a C6 complete Tetraplegic.   Prior to her accident Kylie had been a successful sportswoman, representing her county at athletics and netball.  She had also been a keen horse-rider and competed at national level as a show-jumper and in other equestrian events. 

In 2008 Kylie started playing wheelchair rugby as a member of the London Wheelchair Rugby Club and was selected to join the GB squad in 2011, making her debut at the GB Cup in the same year.  Kylie is currently the only female member of the squad.  She went on to win a silver medal at the European Championships and came 5th at the London 2012 Paralympic Games. 

Kylie says of her injuries:  ‘Hand on heart, I have no negative feelings about having a spinal injury.  I want to continue to look towards the future and find out what I can do.  I don’t reflect on the things that I used to be able to do….I am all about moving forward.’ 

The RNOH’s Director of Fundraising and Development, Rosie Stolarski, said, ‘Kylie is a remarkable woman who has not let spinal injury stand in her way and has achieved incredible sporting success over the past few years.  We are thrilled that she has agreed to become an ambassador and I know she will be a true inspiration to our patients, staff and supporters.’