'Tennis helped me come to terms with Usher syndrome diagnosis'

'Tennis helped me come to terms with diagnosis'

21 minutes ago Share Save Isobel Fry & Lauren Hirst BBC News, Liverpool Share Save

BBC Neil Bamford said his love of tennis had "opened so many doors" for him

Each year Neil Bamford has to face the reality that his eyesight could deteriorate a little more. At just 19 years old, he was diagnosed with Usher syndrome, a progressive condition that affects hearing, vision and balance. "For me it's been so slow - it's that narrowing effect on your life," said the 53-year-old, who now only has partial sight in one eye and uses hearing aids. While he did not realise it at the time, his diagnosis would eventually lead him to a new passion in life, tennis.

Neil, from Liverpool, has shared his story as part of BBC North West Tonight's six-part series about living with invisible disabilities and conditions. The former first aid and lifeguard trainer, who has been wearing hearing aids since the age of six, first started to notice issues with his eye sight when he was 12 years old. But it was another seven years before his diagnosis was confirmed. "It was horrendous, absolutely horrendous," said Neil. "My mum went with me and she was crying her eyes out when they told me because, that was the other thing back then, nobody could tell you anything. "It would be 'you're going to lose your sight but we can't tell you when'." More than 400,000 people are estimated to have Usher syndrome across the world, according to the Usher Syndrome Coalition. Neil said he struggled to accept the news: "I just went into denial, isolation and stayed there for an awfully long time. "It's thinking, well, I used to be able to do that last year, this summer the sun is affecting me an awful lot more, this winter I'm absolutely dreading it because it will be worse than the last one. "Every year I realise something else has progressed."

Neil said the sport has helped to give him a new lease of life

But he said his life began to open up again after discovering Bradbury Fields - a charity which helps blind, and partially sighted people, and those with dual sensory impairments to achieve their potential. Through the charity, Neil found tennis, which he has credited with helping him come to terms with his condition. "I didn't pick up a racket until 2017 and that was just a taster session on these courts. [I'd given] up on sport," he said "Your sight starts to deteriorate, and you think, 'oh, that's it'. "As narrow as my life became, when I acknowledged that it was an issue and I sought help, then my life started opening up again." As his love of the sport grew, Neil decided to start competing. "In 2019, I thought 'right I'll give the regionals a go'," he said. "I won the regionals - I was in total shock and I've been competing ever since. "I've been in the GB squad for five years, played at Wimbledon twice. "It's opened so many doors." Neil's story features in a special six-part BBC North West Tonight series about invisible disabilities and conditions. You can watch it on BBC One in the Northwest of England and the Isle of Man from 18:30 BST on Wednesday 9 July. It will also be available on the BBC iPlayer.

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