This edition of Common Climber has a theme of Overcoming Adversity. Anoushé Husain is a Muslim paraclimber of Pakistani origins and lives in London, England. Anoushé has had a number of life events thrown at her - cancer, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS - which affects joints, connective tissue, and blood vessel walls), inflammatory bowel disease, and recent injuries which have made her a wheelchair-user, in addition to being born with missing her right arm below the elbow. Yet, climbing remains central to Anoushé's life.
Anoushé began climbing in 2016 at the age of 29 as part of her recovery from cancer. She became so enamored with the sport that climbing has become central to her life, including competing and co-founding Paraclimbing London in 2018.
Thank you for joining us at Common Climber Anoushé! We appreciate you sharing your story with us.
Anoushé began climbing in 2016 at the age of 29 as part of her recovery from cancer. She became so enamored with the sport that climbing has become central to her life, including competing and co-founding Paraclimbing London in 2018.
Thank you for joining us at Common Climber Anoushé! We appreciate you sharing your story with us.
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Tell us about how climbing came into your life.
I first tried climbing on a school trip when I was eight. I enjoyed it but never took it up as a sport - it was seen as a dangerous. I was also busy with martial arts at the time. At the age of 17 I had to stop Karate due to my undiagnosed Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS), which started to cause major issues. That left a really big hole in my life.
I really found climbing at 23 when I was recovering from cancer treatment. A good friend of mine, who had been on the same school trip as me when we were eight, had taken up and continued climbing after that trip. She introduced me back to the sport. I really took it up as a regular sport in 2016 when I was 28 years old. Were you going through chemotherapy as part of your cancer treatment and climbing too?
No, I started climbing just after I finished radiotherapy (Jan 2012). I was having quite a lot of stamina trouble and my left arm was giving me quite a lot of grief (it still does) so my friend suggested climbing to see if it would suit me. It really did!
How did you get into competition climbing? Are you still competing?
I was born and grew up in Luxembourg, which is where I began climbing, but para-competitions were not a thing there. I moved to London in 2013, but only heard of paraclimbing competitions when I started climbing at the London Castle Climbing Centre in 2016. I was fascinated and amazed that disabled people had climbing competitions. So, I got a coach in February 2016 and was competing in September 2016.
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Anoushé Husain climbing at a local gym in London. (Photo Credit: Chris Boulton, Soulkind, IG: @chris.boulton.photo)
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I am still competing and plan to return to competitions in 2022. In some ways, though, I constantly compete with myself - what can I learn and how can I improve.
What has competition climbing been like for you?
Competition climbing is rather different compared to other competitions I’ve been in when I was in swimming or martial arts. There’s a huge sense of community in paraclimbing, so it’s almost like a family reunion when I go! Everyone is super encouraging. The climbing itself is really fun, sometimes quite challenging, but there is always an easier, moderate, then hard route - so something for everyone.
You co-founded Paraclimbing London. According to your website the goal of Paraclimbing London is to "create a safe space and help remove barriers disabled people might have in accessing climbing in London. Anyone with any disability or long term health condition, be it visible like a limb difference or less visible like cancer or mental health can join." Tell us more about Paraclimbing London.
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Paraclimbing London sessions are for anyone who feels that their disability, long term health condition, or mental health are impacting their daily life and/or their ability to climb. They can be born with the issue or brand new to the diagnosis and disability. We don’t judge and we don’t ask what anyone is affected with. The only thing we check is if anyone needs to disclose information for safety reasons.
We currently meet two times a month - once at the London Castle Climbing Centre and once at the one of the other alternate centres. We are always looking to spread around London so we reach as many people as possible. For people who are interested, they can register online on our website (www.paraclimbinglondon.co.uk). Then turn up to the session (if you need any help or are unsure or nervous, contact us by email on hello@paraclimbinglondon.co.uk). Once you’re there, if you’re new, we will provide guidance. You don’t need to know how to climb or belay when you come to us. The aim is that you come and enjoy yourself, meet others, try climbing, and over time, become independent on the wall. Also there’s no pressure. If the trip getting to the wall tired you out or maybe there’s a bit of sensory overload, there’s no pressure to climb. We try our best to have a quiet space set aside for anyone who needs to take a break away. |
Anoushé founded the group Paraclimbing London where they hold meetings twice a month in the London Area.
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Do you also climb outdoors? If so, do you have a favorite location?
Outdoor climbing has been something I want to do a lot more of. It’s super challenging juggling work, competitions, training, and now wheelchair travel, as well as variable health. So far my favourite place to climb would be Portland.
ED NOTE: Portland is a small island off the southern coast of Dorset which has premier sport limestone sea cliff climbing with a variety of grades from easier to very difficult.
ED NOTE: Portland is a small island off the southern coast of Dorset which has premier sport limestone sea cliff climbing with a variety of grades from easier to very difficult.
You have Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS). Many people have never heard of that. The Ehlers-Danlos Society describes the Ehlers-Danlos syndrome as follows:
The Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS) are a group of hereditary disorders of connective tissue that are varied in the ways they affect the body and in their genetic causes. The underlying concern is the abnormal structure or function of collagen and certain allied connective tissue proteins.
They are generally characterized by joint hypermobility (joints that move further than normal range), joint instability (subluxation - partial separation of the articulating surfaces of a joint) and dislocations (full separation of the surfaces of a joint), scoliosis, and other joint deformities, skin hyperextensibility (skin that can be stretched further than normal) and abnormal scarring, and other structural weakness such as hernias and organ prolapse through the pelvic floor. In the rarer types of EDS, there is also weakness of specific tissues that can lead, for example, to major gum and dental disease, eye disease, cardiac valve and aortic root disorders, and life-threatening abdominal organ, uterine, or blood vessel rupture."
Tell us about your experience with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and how it impacts your life and climbing.
My main EDS issues are that I’m very unstable in certain joints, I constantly sprain things or misalign joints. Very occasionally, I’ll get a dislocation (not fun). There’s chronic pain, chronic fatigue, and now balance issues. My spatial awareness of where I am is pretty poor, but climbing really helps with that.
I’ve had three surgeries due to EDS and have quite a lot of the internal organ issues - similar to those described above.
I’ve had three surgeries due to EDS and have quite a lot of the internal organ issues - similar to those described above.
Climbing is a central part of your life, how does it help you?
For me, climbing is an escape from my life. Post-cancer, it was the one time during the day/week/month where I wasn’t the girl with cancer trying to work out how I was going to finish my studies and the future of my life.
Climbing requires mental concentration so it pushes out the rest of my worries.
On a day when I’m in the zone, I feel at one with the wall, supported and safe because I know I won’t be judged by the wall, it’s simply there. If my performance changes, it’s because I have changed. The wall mirrors my life, it shows me when I’m stressed, overwhelmed, tired etc.
Climbing requires mental concentration so it pushes out the rest of my worries.
On a day when I’m in the zone, I feel at one with the wall, supported and safe because I know I won’t be judged by the wall, it’s simply there. If my performance changes, it’s because I have changed. The wall mirrors my life, it shows me when I’m stressed, overwhelmed, tired etc.
What challenges do you experience with climbing?
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Being limb-different and short, I sometimes have to be quite inventive with certain moves. That would be fine except my left arm also has its own issues, so I don’t have that much strength or endurance in it. And, my hips also don’t open well in certain angles due to malformations.
That being said, climbing is a super adaptive sport and I have no issues adding a hold in or trying a daring move to get where I want to get to. The other day I chose a route where I couldn’t get off the ground on. I tried twenty times. I know what I need to do. I also know I don’t have the strength right now. For me that’s ok because I tried my best and worked out what I could do if I had the physical strength to do it. |
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You recently had some events that put you in a wheel chair. What has life been like since being in a wheelchair and how has that impacted your climbing?
Life has been interesting since becoming an ambulant wheelchair user. To start with, getting the right wheelchair and working out what I needed, was a challenge. Repetitive strain injuries are a thing now. But using a wheelchair gives me the freedom to save energy for things like climbing and it saves me from further sprains. It’s a very fine balance, but I don’t regret becoming a wheelchair user even if it has made life a bit more complicated.
How has your approach to climbing changed from when you were a beginner climber to now?
I have had a major shift in how I climb in the past five years. Previously, I would be at the wall all the time and really berate myself for missing any sessions. I was overtraining and it was unhealthy. With the health issues that happened last year, my fatigue levels never quite recovered, so if I want to keep climbing at a high level and enjoying my social climbs, I have to actually climb less, eat better, sleep well, etc. I have a much healthier relationship with myself and my sport.
You have four adaptive adventures challenges you have given yourself. Tell us more about those.
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Five years ago, as I was reaching my five-years all clear from cancer, I decided to indoor-climb the height of Mount Everest (about 1300 climbs) – it took me nearly six months and it was hard work. For that challenge, I raised money for Shine Cancer Support.
On January 19, 2021, I reached ten years since I finished my last radiotherapy session. I don’t want to celebrate getting to ten-years, but I do want to use that milestone for good and show my body - and let my body show me - that we could do something outrageously ambitious in spite of the recent loss of strength, stamina and mobility in the last year. So, I decided to expand my personal challenge to four adaptive adventures:
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(Photo Credit: Sandy Carr, IG: @beach.buggy)
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How are your adaptive adventures coming along?
Really slowly. I was expecting to get through some of them quickly, but I picked up a shoulder injury so couldn’t row or wheel. I have also been having more balance issues with walking – but so far I got to 25% of Everest!!!
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The mind and mind-set are such an important part of life and climbing. You mention that when you were first diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome at the age of 15 you fell into a "why me?" mindset that was very difficult to get out of. Then you had a series of health-related setbacks - like back surgery, cancer, cancer treatments, and ongoing effects of EDS - and you hit "rock bottom." You recognized that you had been living in survivor mode for years and were cut off emotionally, unable to laugh or even cry. When you moved to London, after finishing your Master's Degree, you began therapy. What did you learn at that time and how do you approach your mental game currently?
I learned a lot back then, the first of which was I wasn’t allowing myself to feel because I was so afraid of how much I was going to feel and that that would lead to a breakdown.
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(Photo Credit: Sana Murad, IG: @sunnylux)
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Ultimately, through lots of therapy and learning about myself - learning it’s safe to feel my own emotions (though I do have a routine to stay grounded when I am processing) - means I can handle much more and bigger shocks in my life.
It’s not what happens to you, it’s how you react to it. That’s what I’ve been learning.
Also, having a meltdown and a duvet-day as a coping mechanism when things are really difficult is totally ok. As long as you have a way of getting back up and fighting the fight.
It’s not what happens to you, it’s how you react to it. That’s what I’ve been learning.
Also, having a meltdown and a duvet-day as a coping mechanism when things are really difficult is totally ok. As long as you have a way of getting back up and fighting the fight.
In some of your Instagram posts you also talk about the challenges of battling some of your demons - the behind the scenes experiences of daily life. So many people struggle with this. What are some of your inner demons and how do you manage them?
Imposter syndrome is a huge one (see next response below). The way I battle that is by talking about it and using facts to counter the self-belittling rhetoric.
Lack of self-confidence is another. The words “I can’t” are banned because I used them too much. Being curious about where my feelings have stemmed from helps here.
Recently I’ve also been getting more frustrated and dealing with quite a few mood swings. I attribute this to dealing with another surgery earlier this year, the meds I still need to take to prevent cancer issues, and recent changes to my mobility. I just try to listen to my body, eat something comforting to ground myself, and again, talk to someone - a problem shared means you are no longer carrying it on your own and you are no longer isolated.
Lack of self-confidence is another. The words “I can’t” are banned because I used them too much. Being curious about where my feelings have stemmed from helps here.
Recently I’ve also been getting more frustrated and dealing with quite a few mood swings. I attribute this to dealing with another surgery earlier this year, the meds I still need to take to prevent cancer issues, and recent changes to my mobility. I just try to listen to my body, eat something comforting to ground myself, and again, talk to someone - a problem shared means you are no longer carrying it on your own and you are no longer isolated.
You mention experiencing imposter syndrome, particularly with respect to the adaptive adventure challenges. Can you elaborate on why you might be experiencing imposter syndrome?
Imposter syndrome is: “the persistent inability to believe that one's success is deserved or has been legitimately achieved as a result of one's own efforts or skills.”
I have a constant inner rhetoric telling me that everything I do is ordinary:
It’s an inner demon I have been battling for a very long time.
I have a constant inner rhetoric telling me that everything I do is ordinary:
- I climb hard because I enjoy it.
- I advocate for those stigmatized by society because I don’t want anyone to have to experience what I have and I also firmly believe that no one should be treated less in any way due to who they are, where they come from, or how they have been brought up. None of those are done by choice.
- I am doing these four amazing adventures, but I’ve broken them down into manageable chunks because my body won’t allow me to do it any other way. It makes me feel like I deserve less recognition and support for what I’m doing despite doing it while working full time, juggling hospital visits, health, injuries, a personal life, and regular training.
It’s an inner demon I have been battling for a very long time.
Inclusivity is something you advocate for. Do you see climbing becoming more inclusive? What else needs to be done? How can those things be done?
Climbing is definitely more inclusive than it used to be. I now see more people like me on the wall, be that with disabilities or Southeast Asian or wearing a hijab. That being said, outdoor sports, including climbing, isn’t always inclusive. There are so many factors why things aren’t always inclusive. Some of it is cost - sometimes it is just too expensive to retrofit a building, for example. But there are so many no-cost or low-cost things that can be done to make climbing (or the world, for that matter) more inclusive, such as:
All of this would have a return on investment.
If we think inclusively we will design inclusively. Inclusion and equity don’t mean taking away from those who already have access, it’s allowing others to access it when they otherwise wouldn’t have.
I recently saw an article about a group of Muslim hikers who posted some images of a Christmas hike they did. There were abusive comments made related to the post. Seeing this happen is sad - racism and bigotry make me angry.
- A virtual tour of a building/climbing gym, so people can check it out in advance;
- Social sessions for different groups to have safe spaces and gain confidence so they can then come climbing in their own time;
- A welcome tour of the building for new climbers.
All of this would have a return on investment.
If we think inclusively we will design inclusively. Inclusion and equity don’t mean taking away from those who already have access, it’s allowing others to access it when they otherwise wouldn’t have.
I recently saw an article about a group of Muslim hikers who posted some images of a Christmas hike they did. There were abusive comments made related to the post. Seeing this happen is sad - racism and bigotry make me angry.
You were part of an advertising promotion by Sure and Degree anti-perspirants. How awesome. Fill us in on that experience!
Definitely a surreal experience! I’ve taken part in different ad campaigns before but to be in one that went around the world was a huge honour and a very special moment. What made it extra special was I had had major abdominal surgery in January, so the day interviewing and climbing for Sure was my first climb in the U.K. after the surgery and some very intense rehab. I was struggling to stand, talk, I gave it my all, so I’m really proud it turned out the way it did.
Anoushé running across her Sure ad campaign promotions.
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Anoushé was also featured in a Degree anti-perpirant ad campaign
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RESOURCES:
Paraclimbing London:
To see more interviews of and blogs by Anoushé, visit her website: https://anoushehusain.com/
Follow Anoushé on Social Media:
Paraclimbing London:
- https://www.facebook.com/groups/336808226819833
- www.paraclimbinglondon.co.uk
- Email: hello@paraclimbinglondon.co.uk
To see more interviews of and blogs by Anoushé, visit her website: https://anoushehusain.com/
Follow Anoushé on Social Media:
- Instagram: @anoushehusain
- Facebook: @anoushehusain1