A Team GB para ice hockey player from Sheffield is raising money to fund his place at the World Championships in Norway this year.
Damien Barker, 34, who plays for the Sheffield Steelkings underwent a lower leg amputation last year after breaking his ankle in a running accident 10 years ago.
Originally treated as a sprain, it quickly deteriorated. After undergoing an unsuccessful ankle fusion in 2021, Barker made the decision to remove his lower leg last June.
Barker, who has always been a big sports fan said: “Sport is my life. It gets me through the good days and the bad. Getting my trainers on and going for a run used to be my way of getting through.”
After being told by doctors he would never play sport again, Barker joined the Sheffield Steelkings in 2021 and described them as a support system that helped him through very dark times.
He said: “I didn’t realise how much I’d missed the dressing room atmosphere. I remember the first day. Everybody made me feel like I’d been there for ages. It was like I was immediately part of the group. It felt brilliant to find sports again.
“When you get onto the ice, after being told you’ll never play sports again, you feel alive.”
He now has the chance to represent Great Britain at the para ice hockey World Championship in April this year, which will take place in Norway.
Barker is sponsored by Rae Coulston Hardy and has partnered with Andy’s Man Club this year. Personal donations will be crucial to securing his place on Team GB. Para ice hockey is a self-funded sport in the UK.
He described his wife, Stephanie, and his two young children, Lucy and Edison, as his biggest motivation.
He said: “When I gave my daughter my puck from the first goal I scored, she was so proud of me and I loved that.
“It feels like my way of giving something back and making them proud of me. I know my wife believes in me and she’s been really encouraging. She’s kept me level-headed and encourages me at the same time.”
It was also through the Sheffield Steelkings that Damien met his now best friend, Paul Brown, who underwent the same amputation as him.
The Sheffield Steel kings. Credit: Sheffield Steelkings
He said: “We went through something similar and he gets it completely. If it wasn’t for the club, I wouldn’t have met him.
Damien said what matters most to him is setting an example for his family, as well as young children in Sheffield with disabilities.
He said: “Anything is possible, you just need to know where to look. Never get told you can’t do anything.”
Donations can be made through Damien’s GoFundMe page.
