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THE ALLEYNIAN 709
SPORT
A ARTIST OF THE PORTRAIT The webinar talk given by Henry Fraser OA was inspirational and deeply moving, says Dennis Ivin (Year 11)
As students, we have tended to take sport for granted, our weekly planners jam-packed with regular swimming training sessions or cross country runs, yet its importance leapt to the forefront of our minds during the Covid-19 pandemic. Never had there been a time in our lives when a Saturday morning rugby game carried such appeal; when a kickabout down at the park with a few mates appeared so enticing. The sport-free aspect of lockdown, for many, was where the virus hit hardest. For Henry Fraser, however, the significance of sport within his life was made even more painfully clear 12 years ago, in 2009, when a freak accident on a Portuguese beach meant that everything changed. A former Dulwich 1st XV regular and Saracens Academy player (his brother, Will, was a professional player who won the European Cup), Henry only knew one hobby. Having joined the College in 2008, he found himself quickly ‘falling out of love’ with subjects such as Art. As rugby became increasingly important in his mind, a week-long holiday abroad following the end of his AS exams promised a summer of non-stop sport and relaxation. No one around the lively, sociable teenager could have imagined what would happen to him. Dislocating the fourth vertebra in his neck after diving into shallow water, hitting his head on the seabed, and finding he could not move, Henry was flown back to intensive care in England; it would be six months later that he would emerge from hospital. The damage to his spinal cord left him paralysed from the shoulders down. He would never play his beloved rugby again.
In Henry’s situation, as he returned to study at Dulwich 13 months after the accident, many would have questioned their purpose in life. I, for one, cannot imagine a life without sport. Yet Fraser’s refusal to give up left those of us attending the ‘Sports in Mind’ webinar awestruck at his bravery and inspired by his perseverance in exploring other pathways of life following his accident. Fraser explained how the accident had helped him to move forward in life. He is now a successful mouth artist, motivational speaker, and author of The Power in You , a book detailing his thoughts about fear – something that he believes the accident has ‘taken out of [his] life’. It was Henry’s discussion of his art work that resonated with me the most. Having abandoned the hobby during his school days, he now recognises that without the accident, the enthusiasm he had for creativity (he would often play with Lego during his childhood) is likely never to have been reignited. Having been introduced to mouth artists in hospital, Fraser explained that his first drawings were ‘ just a few lines’, posted on social media and met with positive feedback. Henry now creates pieces that many artists could only dream of replicating, with only his mouth, and his journey as an artist is an index of how far he has come since that day on the beach. His progress and success within public speaking seem to mirror his artistic progress; acknowledging that he was ‘absolutely terrified’ at his first public-speaking engagement, Fraser was keen to emphasise that accepting to do that first talk was his ‘best decision ever’. Indeed, he described his gratitude at being given the huge privilege of being able to have impact on people’s
lives through sharing his own experiences. He often receives messages from others at low points in their lives, and is keen to support them in overcoming these moments. Furthermore, Fraser mentioned that he is now ‘happier and more content’ in himself than ever – a comment that made me realise how much we take for granted, and which will continue to have an impact on my life. Ultimately, whilst saddened by the thought of the six months Fraser spent in hospital following that fateful holiday in Portugal, the watchers of the webinar left inspired and reflective, after hearing of Fraser’s unrelenting determination in ‘finding positives in negative situations’. His messages can relate to the lives of everyone reading this article: it is important we enjoy the present, make the most of our hobbies, and support others. The webinar series as a whole has led me to realise that sport is much more than just meets the eye. It is far more than a pastime; for many of us, sport is an escape and a way of life. So, picture yourself 20 years from now, as the world of work and family commitments push those late-night cricket training sessions to the side. Will you be able to match Henry Fraser in saying, ‘I don’t think I’d change a thing, to be honest’?
His journey as an artist is an index of how far he has come since that day on the beach
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