How cycling helped Sophia’s family cope with a life-changing illness

Sophia’s family had to make big changes to the way they travelled after her daughter was put on life-support with respiratory problems.

Sophia suffers from epilepsy which means she is not allowed to drive. The family had bicycles, and even a cargo bike, but only used them for leisure. The rest of the time Sophia relied on her husband and his car for transport.

‘We used to use it every day’, she says. ‘We would drive to go to the shopping centre, to drop off and pick up the kids, and to go to our beach hut over in Southwick.’

Then, last year, Sophia’s daughter landed in hospital with a respiratory condition. She was dangerously ill and had to be put on life support.

Happily, she pulled through and was eventually discharged from hospital. But her condition meant the family had to make some changes.

‘She needed to be kept in isolation once she was out’, says Sophia. ‘We couldn’t use public transport or taxis, but the places we wanted to go weren’t always practical to get to by car.

‘Given my condition and hers, the bikes became essential for transport, not just for fun.

‘So we ended up cycling a lot. My daughter and her bike would sit in the hold of the cargo bike, and we would travel together. I would pedal her to hospital appointments or to remote parts of the South Downs, where she could get her bike out and get some valuable exercise in.’

‘The BetterPoints app has has definitely encouraged us to cycle and walk more. I have a free bus pass because of my condition but, because I want to see the miles and minutes going up and up on the app, I’ll walk and cycle everywhere.

‘I’ll now walk to pick my daughter up from pre-school, then she’ll cycle with me while I walk to the supermarket before heading home.

‘My daughter has been influenced to the point where she’s telling her teachers that she is going to change the world by bringing “cyclisation to the nation”!

‘Cycling and walking have become so engrained in everything we do as a family. While we still have the car, it is just collecting dust and taking up a parking space.’

Looking back at the period when her daughter was in hospital, Sophia is thankful for the opportunity to cycle.

‘There is a lot of negativity around cycle lanes, but without them I wouldn’t ride on the roads at all as I wouldn’t feel safe. They provide me with my freedom.

‘It was a really stressful time and going out on the bikes helped alleviate the pressure. They really were a life-saver.’