Wheelchair athlete Wing Lam emerges from spinal cord injury with message to disabled – ‘Equality is a mindset’
- Hongkonger Lam says long road of rehabilitation after being paralysed was full of setbacks, but sport helps him through
- Lam hopes to inspire people to have a more positive mindset and continue taking on athletic challenges
Wing Lam Tin-wing remembers it was a dinner table that was his final point of reckoning in coming to terms with his new life.
In 1996, at the age of 18, Lam was riding his bike and struck by a car in a hit-and-run. His neck was fractured and he ended up spending the next four years in hospital. The first year was focused solely on regaining the use of his arms, and when Lam finally returned home it brought forth a realisation that his journey was far from over.
“The first thing I remembered was the table was much higher now than before my accident,” said Lam, who is now confined to a wheelchair. “It used to be down here around my waist and now it was up here at my shoulder.”
On Sunday night, Lam completed the Wings for Life World Run 2021 Hong Kong App Run at Happy Valley. The race is a global event for the Wings for Life Spinal Cord Injury Research Foundation, and he detailed the many ups and downs he has had over the years since his accident.
Lam, 43, said part of leaving hospital after four years’ of rehabilitation felt like leaving heaven and entering hell, but he was undeterred. Before his accident, he was an avid athlete, windsurfing, riding mountain bikes and BMX. But after such a long recovery time, he knew things were different and he was going to have to adjust.