{"id":3231,"date":"2025-03-04T16:21:31","date_gmt":"2025-03-04T05:21:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.melbasupport.com.au\/?p=3231"},"modified":"2025-07-09T09:35:58","modified_gmt":"2025-07-08T23:35:58","slug":"meet-ryan-woods","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.melbasupport.com.au\/meet-ryan-woods\/","title":{"rendered":"“I wasn\u2019t going to let the pain stop me from living”"},"content":{"rendered":"
\r\n \r\n

‘I wasn\u2019t going to let the pain stop me from living’<\/h3>\n

Inspiration is a word that gets thrown around a lot in disability circles. It\u2019s always well meaning, but it\u2019s often condescending.<\/p>\n

You hear it a lot during the Paralympics, for example. An athlete with disability is \u201cinspiring\u201d simply because they are competing. Every athlete, with or without disability, has to overcome obstacles to compete at the highest level so why do Paralympians get labelled as inspirational so much more than able-bodied Olympians?<\/p>\n

That\u2019s where the often unintended condescension comes in. Sometimes the label fits. Sometimes it\u2019s not condescending, it\u2019s simply appropriate and just. Sometimes a person does something that gives you reason to pause and reflect on your own life. And often that pause comes down to the adversity they\u2019ve overcome.<\/p>\n

Ryan, for example, is an inspiration to those who come into his orbit. He doesn\u2019t see himself as particularly inspiring, and ironically that\u2019s part of the reason he is.<\/p>\n

Ryan, 48, has cerebral palsy, which gives him curvature of the spine and a twisted foot \u2013 he also has ADHD \u2013 but, no, that\u2019s not what makes him inspirational.<\/p>\n

Ryan inspires the people who get to know him because he refuses to let disability define him. He just gets on with it. He sees a problem and solves it. He knows he has challenges, but rather than let them overwhelm him, as some might, he chooses to meet them head on and does what he can to overcome them.<\/p>\n

About 15 years ago, Ryan was putting on weight and his problem foot, coupled with his back, was struggling to hold him up. He was given two choices: get fit or get a wheelchair. That ultimatum changed the trajectory of Ryan\u2019s life. From that moment on, Ryan threw himself into getting healthy. He joined a gym, got a personal program, and followed it to the letter.<\/p>\n

Today, Ryan still goes to the gym three days a week for a workout. He also cycles and goes for extended walks. He says he hasn\u2019t put on a kilo in all that time and no one is suggesting he consider getting a wheelchair anymore.<\/p>\n\"\"\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cBack then, I was told if I put on more weight I\u2019d be like the Hunchback of Notre Dame,\u201d Ryan says.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut it wasn\u2019t just that. I have a lot of back pain and that was just going to get worse. So basically, if I didn\u2019t go the gym I wouldn\u2019t be able to walk. \u201cI wasn\u2019t going to let the pain stop me from living. I\u2019ve put a lot of muscle on my back and it\u2019s helped me a lot too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ryan\u2019s attention to detail and determination to stay as fit and healthy as possible isn\u2019t limited to the gym. He also taught himself how to cook so that he could eat healthy food.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do have junk food days,\u201d he confesses, \u201cbut not very often. I try to be as healthy as I can.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ryan\u2019s independence is important to him. But he also needs support to stay on top of things and this is where Melba comes in.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have someone from Melba come and visit me three days a week and just help me with things,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been with Melba for about 20 years and without that support I wouldn\u2019t be where I am today.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ryan is an active member of ARROW and gives semi-regular talks about The Melba Way to new employees.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just tell them my story and how Melba\u2019s helped me,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd I like ARROW because it changes things. It makes things easier for people. We even won an award (the 2023 NDS Excellence in Service Quality award). That\u2019s what I like about ARROW \u2013 it makes a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melba\u2019s David Glazebrook has known Ryan for longer than he can remember and when asked to describe Ryan he replies: \u201cHe\u2019s just a ripping bloke. He doesn\u2019t let things get in his way \u2013 he just gets on with it. He cares about others and, just as importantly, he cares about himself and looks after himself.\u201d<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s Ryan\u2019s message to others with cerebral palsy. \u201cTry different things and find out what you can do,\u201d he says. \u201cIf it hurts, try something else, or try a different strategy, but keep trying until you find it.\u201d<\/p>\n\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ryan\u2019s story challenges the clich\u00e9s often attached to disability and redefines what it truly means to be inspiring. With quiet determination and a no-nonsense attitude, he faces every obstacle head-on\u2014choosing action over sympathy and possibility over limitation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":4110,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3231","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-faces-of-melba-2"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n"I wasn\u2019t going to let the pain stop me from living" | Melba Support Services<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ryan\u2019s story challenges the clich\u00e9s often attached to disability and redefines what it truly means to be inspiring. 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