Paralympic champion Lizzi Jordan on taking control of your health

At the age of 27, Team GB cyclist Lizzi Jordan pedaled her way to a triple world title, followed by her first Paralympic gold. The athlete explained how losing her sight just seven years prior pushed her to focus on the parts of her health that she can control, rather than those she can’t. 

At Breast Cancer UK we know that being active can reduce your risk of breast cancer by at least 20%, and there’s no better time than the new year to take control of your health. However, resolutions can be hard to stick to. This is why we have enlisted the help of a paralympic champion to inspire you to look forwards this January. 

Lizzi was only a university student when a devastating bout of food poisoning left her visually impaired. The athlete is very open about how these sudden and serious health complications completely changed her life as she knew it.

“I had a lot of time sitting around, feeling really sorry for myself after I was first poorly, which is understandable. Going blind, losing all my independence, having to quit university, not being able to drive anymore. I split with my boyfriend so life as I knew it was over.” 

But despite being knocked down by this enormous physical and mental challenge, Lizzi did a remarkable thing. She got back up – and then some.  

“I had this inner passion to achieve something without my sight that I would have never even dreamt of with my sight.” 

After running a marathon in 2019, Lizzi found the motivation to push further than ever before. In the end, keeping active was not just a means of rebuilding her strength; it was a way of taking back control of her life.

“I’d faced so many hurdles, I thought, do you know what I need? Something to set my set my targets for and give myself a purpose again in life. And I found that through sport.” 

In 2020 the athlete, who has always been a keen horse rider, got back in a different saddle when she was introduced to British Cycling. After just four years of training she claimed a triple world title in Rio and gold in the Paris Paralympics. But beyond the medals, Lizzi is as warm and approachable as they come. This relatability stems not only from her positivity, but her resilience. The athlete is keen to stress that though obstacles in life can seem unrelenting, we are all capable of learning to evolve and ride the wave. 

“My argument is that you might face one big hurdle in life, like my illness, but they are constant as well. Every day I’m overcoming new hurdles, and it’s just about learning to adapt to the new you.” 

And crucially, when it comes to creating happier, healthier habits, it’s also about finding where your own unique strengths lie.

“I think once you come around to accepting it, you can really move forward and work with it instead of working against it. So I’ve worked with my eyesight and I’ve learned what I can do with it instead of what I can’t do.” 

Admittedly, taking control of your health this January might not mean striving for a gold medal for most of us – and that’s OK. 

“You don’t have to become an elite Paralympian to have achieved something once you’ve faced adversity; it can be any goal. It could be going on holiday independently. It could be anything.” 

Even as a figure who has inspired a whole nation, Lizzi herself is constantly in awe of the athletes around her. 

“I think being exposed to the Para team has been really healthy for me.  I’ve witnessed a lot of other people struggling in lots of different ways and you all just embrace each other’s challenges and support each other. […] We’ve got people on our team like hand cyclists that are fully paralysed chest-down. They’re out using their arms to cycle themselves round on the bike, and it’s just incredible. “ 

And of course, her success also hinges on absolute trust in her pilot Danni, with whom she has built a very close relationship. It might be that finding a friend with whom to start your new exercise regime could be what spurs you to take on a new fundraising challenge in 2025.

“You’ve both got to work together and you feel like you’re not just working for yourself, you’re working for somebody else as well. I want to do well for Danni as well as myself because I know how much it means to her.”

Lizzi’s personal story has given her a deep passion for prevention. Like Breast Cancer UK, she knows that getting active and future-proofing our bodies is a way of empowering ourselves. 

“When I was ill in 2017, they said if I wasn’t as fit and healthy as I was, I wouldn’t have pulled through. So I just have that understanding of how important it is to be active and healthy and how that can put you in a better predicament for anything that life might throw at you.” 

Crucially, she says it’s about not looking at the factors we can’t change,  like accidents or unexpected illnesses. It’s about controlling how we react and move forwards.  

“We can’t control what life throws us, can we? But what we can control is putting ourselves in the best position to face these challenges and to prevent being faced with them.” 

Has Lizzi’s story inspired you to take control of your health? Take our prevention quiz to find out what you can do to reduce your risk of breast cancer, or build healthy habits into your daily routine with our wellness planner. 

Image Credit: SWPix

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