Paracanoe Gold Medalist Curtis McGrath Shares His Story
On August 23rd, 2012, at just 24 years old, life changed in a flash for Curtis McGrath when he stepped on an improvised explosive device (IED) while on deployment in Afghanistan. The subsequent blast resulted in the loss of both his legs. McGrath was a combat engineer in the Australian army who had only been deployed to Afghanistan a few months prior to the incident.
Following the loss of his legs, McGrath was tasked with transitioning from being an able-bodied person to being a member of the disability community. The transition would change McGrath’s life trajectory and teach him resilience, love, and goal setting.
Merely 18 months after stepping on an IED, McGrath had blazed a new path by discovering a love for paracanoeing, a passion that would propel him to countless metals, awards, and eventually a gold medal appearance at the 2016 Paralympic games in Rio de Janeiro.
McGrath sat down with us in 2020 to discuss how he transitioned to a new perspective on life following the loss of his legs. Our conversation specifically focused on the trials and tribulations of maintaining relationships with an altered identity.
Maintaining Friendships
As could be imagined, the first few months following the loss of his legs were difficult for McGrath. Even with a firm support system, it was a struggle to convey that there were some activities that were not yet feasible for him to tackle.
However, McGrath soon learned that being very vocal about his goals for the days, weeks, and months ahead aided in maintaining and strengthening friendships over the duration of his recovery process. He would be very upfront about the type of activities he could take part in and the specific skills he hoped to strengthen through participating. That way if any friends wanted to tag along, they knew how to best aid in the process and provide their support and motivation.
Maintaining Romantic Relationships
Previous to losing his legs, McGrath was in a committed, long-term relationship with his significant other. In recalling the memories soon after his incident, McGrath smiled and conveyed how lucky he was to have a partner who truly loved him and fought beside him every step of the recovery process.
The two are still together despite a difficult period of adjustment, and McGrath attributes communication and resilience as the key to their healthy relationship. Unlike maintaining friendships, maintaining a romantic connection had both physical and mental barriers that were unmatched in other parts of his life.
However, the two were open to working through rough patches together and creating a new normal. Nowadays, McGrath openly says that he looks after his partner in many other ways, but also through cooking meals and tidying the house -- something that his partner acknowledges and loves.
McGrath never planned for life to take him on this path- but through the difficulties presented to him, he strengthened relationships and realized a passion for paracanoeing and goal-setting that have propelled him to great success.
Want to hear Curtis McGrath speak in his own words? Check out the Traipsin’ Global on Wheel’s YouTube Podcast!