Another chapter of John’s story
John Hambly’s powered wheelchair took him out of the players’ tunnel to beside Twickenham’s hallowed turf on the day England drew 25-25 with the All Blacks and he looked around reflecting on his recent “life-changing experience”.
His rugby career cut short when he was diagnosed with MS, John wrote an inspiring book ‘Samson Rising’, founded the Samson Centre for MS in Guildford, and was awarded an OBE for his services to people with disabilities in Surrey and the home counties.
But late last year, he says, his life was saved by Prof Mike Parker who he knew through rugby and who John had been working with as part of the STEM team of Love of the Game, a charity working to reduce, manage and, hopefully, cure concussion-related injuries in contact sport.
Rugby intervened
John recalls, “I had been admitted to hospital with a twisted gut and severe abdominal distention plus we were in the middle of Covid. Despite all this, the hospital was still considering sending me home. I managed to call Mike, who I knew had been a senior registrar of the colorectal team at the hospital. He offered to make a phone call to see if things could be moved more quickly. The following day I had what was life-saving surgery. As has been the case for much of my life, rugby had intervened in a hugely positive way.”
Having taken a long time to recover, John was at the match with his daughter Megan, as a guest of Alan Milliner, RFU Council member for Cornwall, who he once played rugby alongside in Truro.
“Recovery has taken a really long time but being at Twickenham for this Test match is amazing and not something I thought I’d ever get to do.” said John.
Founding the Samson Centre
His MS journey has been tough but inspirational. Realising a place was needed to provide support and therapies for people with MS like him, he founded the Samson Centre. Collaborating with Wey Kayak Club and with some incredible fundraising, the Samson Centre was built in 2005.
John grew up on a tough Cornish council estate during the 1960s and discovered the benefits of rugby, not least in handling bullies. A career in surveying took him to London where he captained Old Actonians RFC, got married and had four daughters.
Taking part in the London Marathon brought the first signs of what was finally diagnosed as Multiple Sclerosis. Over the next 17 years, millions of pounds were raised to create the Samson Centre which can treat up to 200 people a week and offers 10,000 therapy sessions each year.
Teamwork makes a difference
John’s indomitable spirit and belief in teamwork were the centre’s foundations. His Old Actonian rugby friends, legends like Zinzan Brooke and Jason Leonard, and business contacts helped swell the fund raising.
Dylan Hartley, who wrote the foreword for Samson Rising, says John has mana, a Maori word that reflects “a singular sort of bravery, the moral courage to think of others instead of yourself”.
John says he is continuing to write but now has to dictate copy due to his worsening MS. A donation of £1 will be made to the Samson Centre for every copy of ‘Samson Rising’ sold.
