Front-rowers, and tighthead props in particular, pride themselves on their scrummaging, but Cartha Queens Park’s current number three Carolyn Baker-Hughes also takes pride in giving people hope.
Carolyn has been one of the standout players for the Dumbreck side in recent weeks as they continue on their mission to avoid finishing bottom in the Arnold Clark Women’s Premiership.
And, when you hear what she has been through in recent years, it is remarkable that she is on a rugby pitch at all, never mind battling it out with the best front-rowers domestically right at the coal face.
“In 2014 I was wanting to get fitter for rugby and I was playing some Australian Rules Football for the Glasgow Sharks,” Carolyn, now 36, explains.
“Through that sport I met my wife Stacey and played for the Scottish Sirens and went on to be selected to play for the Great Britain Swans and we went on a tour to Australia.
“We went to Melbourne in 2017 to play in the International Cup and we finished third after losing the semi-final to Ireland and then overcoming USA in the third/fourth play-off.
While we were out there I started to have some problems with my vision and, at times, I was having real trouble seeing out of one of my eyes.
“My first thought, or annoyance, was that it was affecting my ability to play, but of course it was a bit more serious than that.
“When I got back from the trip I went straight away to see an ophthalmologist [a medical doctor who specialises in eye and vision care] and they sent me for an MRI scan.
“That scan discovered scars in both of my optic nerves and it was clear that I had had optic neuritis [a condition that affects the eye and your vision] when I had been away on tour.
“As a result of all that, I still don’t have proper sight in my left eye now seven years later while my right one sometimes has issues.
“My left eye is very blurry now so I don’t have great depth perception and back in 2017 when I was going through that scan and other tests I had weakness in my right leg and then in my left leg and at times I was finding it hard to put one foot in front of the other.
“I was diagnosed with MS [Multiple sclerosis] on February 2, 2018, and then went on to have neurological physio for between six and 12 months to get my strength back.
“When I think back now as I scrummage away in matches and hold my own, it is strange to think how weak my legs were back then, but the physio helped and I worked hard.
“I started on medication for the MS and at first I really struggled to run for any length of time at all because of the issues with my left eye and issues with dizziness.
“I had severe nausea for a spell too and I did wonder if rugby would ever be an option again, but I am so glad that it was.
“I don’t want people to think ‘well done you, coming back from all that’, I just want to show other people who may face setbacks or news that knocks them for six in their life that you can get back to the things you love.
“I want to give people hope, I was down and out, but I have come back to enjoy playing rugby and I want people who go through something similar to me to know that life may change, but that you can still do the things you enjoy and that is so important.
“If my story resonates with just one person then that would be great because we all come against challenges in life, but there is always a way to try and make the best of something and smile again and that can always be a driver in tough times.
“I’d also like to say how much of a massive support Stacey was through the MS diagnosis and subsequently and she enabled me to change my diet in line with what the neurologist advised to reduce processed food.
“Stacey also played in all of the Aussie Rules team and we also go down to London in the summers and play for the Wimbledon Hawks, so that sport brought us together.”
It is so good to hear that Carolyn, who is set to be playing in a big game in Inverurie against Garioch this weekend, is back enjoying her rugby and a lot of that is down to the Cartha club and the ethos there.
“Cartha is a great club,” Carolyn, who was the club’s Player of the Month for September, said.
“I am not about being the best anymore, I have been there and done that, but I still want to play rugby at a good level in a close-knit squad and have fun too and I think at Cartha we get the best of both worlds.
“We all have each other’s backs and we are there for each other on and off the pitch. The girls understand that sometimes my MS might prevent me from doing something, but they know that whenever I am on the pitch I will give 100 percent for the cause.
“There are some very good teams in our division and we are often the underdogs, but we often punch above our weight and we take pride in making improvements individually and as a group at training and in matches.
“I also really enjoy working with current head coach Ally Hunter. He understands that rugby isn’t a job for us, but it is something we love and I think this season we have struck a good balance of playing hard, but also socialising a lot together and getting to know each other as people and it is a good feeling.”
Carolyn, who grew up in Lincoln, but has a mum from Wishaw, came to rugby quite late aged 24.
“I was playing tag rugby when I was living in Dublin and I enjoyed that, but I was keen to give contact rugby a go so I headed along to the Old Belvedere club,” Carolyn, who is Head of Analytics at Bell, a property services company, said.
“I used to play lacrosse before that and had represented Scotland, but I really enjoyed the physicality of rugby straight away to be honest.
“I was at university in St Andrews before that and that is where I played lacrosse, but rugby gave me a bit of a different buzz.
“Due to a graduate scheme and work I have had two spells in Dublin and a few spells in Glasgow, but that first time in Dublin I played rugby for about four months.
“In January 2013 I linked up with Cartha for the first time and, apart from my second time in Dublin and a spell at Hamilton when I was building things back up after the MS diagnosis, I have been connected with them ever since.
“In September 2013, after I’d been playing the sport for a year only, I was called up as part of the wider Scotland squad to training. It was a good experience at the time, but, as mentioned, after everything I have been through I enjoy much more just playing for fun with Cartha and I could not be happier.
“Don’t get me wrong, I still get a real thrill when we win a scrum or the pack is going well because I am a competitive person, but I know there are bigger things in life than rugby now and if rugby can be one part of a contented life then that is a great thing.”
Thanks to Ben Blair for the main photo of Carolyn playing for Cartha while the secondary photo is from Australian Rules days
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