'We are capable of more than we think' - Disability advocate Jack Kavanagh always looking for a new challenge

A Dunshaughlin man who became one of the country's most recognised disability advocates after becoming paralysed from the shoulders down after suffering injuries in a freak swimming accident on holiday in Portugal in 2012 says he is on a mission to highlight the need for improved services for those with additional needs throughout the country.

Jack Kavanagh (32) was working as a lifeguard and windsurfing instructor when he went on holiday with friends to Portugal in 2012 before starting his second year studying pharmacy in Trinity College.

He was enjoying the water and diving into the waves all day, but on the last dive he hit a hidden sandbank and snapped his neck.

Jack's injuries resulted in him being quadriplegic and resulted in the young man having to learn to do everything from scratch again.

In 2023, Jack, who only has 15 per cent muscle function, hand-cycled an amazing 100km in a day. Since then, he’s been motivating others by highlighting how resources such as the greenway can get us all moving and last month was nominated for the 'most inspiring person' in the Outsider awards.

Pharmacist Jack was inspired to take on his hand-cycle challenge after reading about the Japanese concept of ‘misogi’.

"It was after reading a book called 'The Comfort Crisis' that I decided to do it," he said.

“It talks about taking on a physical challenge as a means of spiritual purification and has been adopted by people who are into adventure such as myself," added Jack.

“One of the rules is that there should be a genuine 50/50 chance you won’t complete the challenge, and that’s how it was for me. I’d only ever done 54km a day, but it was a wonderful opportunity to spend a summer training and exploring the greenways, which are the perfect places to cycle in a safe way."

Taking up handcycling ignited Jack's love for endurance sports as he explains:

"I love being outside, I love being on the bike, it's one of the few places where I can feel I can physically push myself given my injury. We got a gorgeous day for it and about 10 or 12 of us took off on the greenway between Mullingar and Athlone and did a couple of laps.

"I did it on a hybrid bike on the lowest level of resistance because the longest cycle I had done previously was 60km and I did a few of them as part of my training. The idea with the resistance because I don't have tricep function just to give me a bit of momentum on the hills to keep rolling."

Reaching the 'finish line' didn't come without its peaks and troughs but made the achievement all the more satisfying according to Jack who said: "We cycled to Athlone and stopped for lunch in Fernhill and we got back on the road afterwards and we realised the length of the greenway wasn't going to give us 100km so I turned around before I got to the end and went backwards against myself to get the extra distance.

"I miscalculated it slightly so the assistance on the bike gave up with 5km to go and with about 20km to go my biceps and back muscles and my neck were going into spasm. But that is the part that I love when you go into a bit of a dark place and you have to work through it - that's when the ultimate test comes.

"The bike really isn't designed to be cycled without the assistance so it got particularly tough at that stage. We miscalculated the distance when we made the turn to go backwards and realised we were 2.5km short so after cycling all day on perfectly paved tarmac surface, we ended up finishing the cycle on this awful broken road in an industrial estate in Mullingar outside a waste disposal unit and it was almost like a poetic ending.

"There's a funny video of me coming towards the very end of it and I'm barely crawling and you can just hear him saying pure stubbornness got him over the line and there was a bit of that, I wasn't taking no for an answer at that stage. We are capable of more than we think and I need that reminder as much as anyone."

The motivational speaker admits that he used to "love pushing himself physically" before suffering his injury and this endeavour allowed him to revisit that challenge.

"I've always struggled to find places where I can do that again," said Jack. "You are just buzzed up with good endorphins, you are outside all day on a gorgeous day with friends and family.

"I was absolutely in bits the next day, I was very tender but I got up the next morning and drove to St Anne's Park in Dublin because I was an ambassador for an Irish Wheelchair Association fundraiser and I had to a 5km spin that day as well but you know what it was the best thing for me. I love to be outdoors, I love to be active and I love challenging myself.

"After having am injury like I have you are told a lot of things that you'll never be able to do and for me I'm trying to challenge that narrative that we are more capable that we give ourselves credit for. When you set yourself up with good people around me , the right equipment and a certain mind frame you'd be amazed what you are able to achieve."

Jack's passion for handcycling began on a trip to Spain as he explains: "I went over to Spain a few years after my injury and went to a wheelchair company over there that desinged all kinds of bikes. I don't use a real fancy bike I have a bike that attaches on to my wheelchair and the whole idea to reduce the barrier to entry. My transfer in and out of my chair isn't very strong.

"I can change the gears using a lever with my chin and I don't have any finger function or use of my hands so instead of me holding the handles with my fingers, it kind of grips my wrists and my wrists lock in.

"I'm quadriplegic so that means that I have got shoulder function and use of my wrists and biceps but I don't have any tricep function and I have a lot of instability on my left shoulder so I'm making the best of what I've got. That bike was amazing because it allowed me to get out and get moving again. It was lovely to be active with friends and family again.

"When I got to hills I would really struggle and it would restrict me in terms of the terrain I could cycle so I was very resistant to it but ultimately I did go and get a hybrid version of that bike. It allows me to continue to challenge myself."

The life coach, speaker and facilitator who produced an award winning Amazon Prime documentary 'Breaking Boundaries', a TV show that saw him and some close friends embark on an adventure trip around the west coast of America is not quite done with outdoor adventures.

"I was in Oslo last summer trying out an off road bike, it's like a quad with people with reduced mobility so instead of sitting up on top of it you sit down in it and it's fully electric, it's designed to leave very little imprint on the landscape," said the disability advocate.

"I'm just after getting delivery of that so I can't wait to get out back into the mountains and forrests and I have also started to ski again."

Jack said while Meath has lots of potential, more should be done to ensure equality for all.

"A couple of weeks ago was the first consultation for the Meath Outdoor Recreation Strategy and I think Meath has so much to offer," he said. "There's the new greenway, and also the new civic centre in Bettystown has accessible changing facilities and beach wheelchairs. That opens a day out or an adventure to so many families that otherwise wouldn't go. There is huge opportunity for the council to get behind Meath and invest in rolling out healthy infrastructure for for active living and for ageing population to be able to get out to get close to nature."

Jack is also behind a Meath LEO (Local Enterprise Office) pilot programme for inspiring entrepreneurs and those wishing to be self employed who happen to have disabilities.

"I went through all of the doubts and the question marks like should I set up as a sole trader or limited company. There are so many things that get in the way of doing the thing that the business is meant to do. They help you get out of your own way to put a plan together."