Scots dad used football to rebuild life after horror childhood stroke

An East Lothian dad used football to help him rebuild his life after taking a horror stroke when he was 11-years-old.

Father-of-two Blair Glynn, from Tranent, was out playing with pals when he suffered the 'freak accident' shortly before he was due to start high school.

The now 37-year-old, who is dad to Fraser, eight, and Logan, five, spent a month in hospital, before having to retrain his brain to use his left hand and foot when taking part in activities after his dominant side was badly impacted by his brain injury.

“I had a stroke when I was 11-years-old,” he said. “I was in a bed for two to three weeks in a wheelchair for a month then I began to walk.

“There were several struggles, I had to learn to walk again, talk, run, swim, write and almost every skill. I was right sided before the stroke but afterwards I had to learn to use my left hand and foot for activities.

“It was really daunting as I needed to make friends again going to high school which is a scary place at the best of times - never mind going after spending three months in hospital."

The 37-year-old says that he was constantly knocked back from accessing grassroots sports teams he used to play for after his stroke and that he also faced difficulties in securing a job, reports Edinburgh Live.

But despite the gargantuan challenges that he faced as a young boy, Blair continued to persevere and rediscovered his love of football by accessing paralympic style football.

He competed at the Paralympic Games in 2012 and on April 18 2024, he was crowned a world champion after he was part of a team that beat Northern Ireland 4-0 in Salou.

The talented footballer says that the sport helped him to “rebuild his life” and has encouraged others to pursue their dreams,