A pair of twin boys from Barnsley who have severe autism and epilepsy are set to participate in an inclusive triathlon in August later this year.
Levi and Lucas Atwal-Brice, 17, will be cycling with parents Paul and Michael, as well as five-year-old twin brothers Lotan and Lance, at the Superhero Tri.
The triathlon is all-inclusive and designed to encourage people with disabilities to participate in sports.
It’s the first time the boys will be participating in such an event and the family are racing to raise money for the children’s charity Variety and Action for Kids (AFK).
Paul, 45, and Michael, 39, are both keen disability advocates, and wanted to raise awareness about the work done by these charities.
“AFK actually funded Lucas’ special needs tandem bicycle about 10 years ago and if they hadn’t provided it, children like Levi and Lucas wouldn’t be able to go on a cycle ride. If they had a seizure on it, it’d be too dangerous,” explains Paul.
“Mainstream parents can just go to Argos and buy a bike for £80. But when it’s special needs equipment that can be thousands and thousands of pounds, they’re out of reach for a lot of families,” said Michael.
When Paul and Michael adopted the twins in 2008, they initially didn’t realise the boys had autism.
Paul said: “It was a big thing. I cried. Because suddenly it felt like these two young boys in this big world were labelled for the rest of their lives.
“At first we were in denial because we wanted them to do what every child would do but it just became apparent that won’t be an option for the boys,” added Michael.
Soon after the twins were diagnosed with life-threatening epilepsy.
Paul recalled a distressing incident that prompted the couple’s advocacy around disabilities.
“It was about three in the morning and Levi started to stim and was locked in a seizure. We called the ambulance and they had 30 staff working on him and they had to incubate him. I wanted to die.
“At the time Levi was fighting for his life, we had very little support professionally and there was nobody there to guide us to what we have now. It was very much we were on our own.”
All six of the family will be taking part in the cycling but will pass the baton on to others for the swimming leg, as swimming is a risk to the twin’s safety.
“Levi and Lucas are quite happy to sit there and let dads do all the work and have the wind in their faces,” said Paul.
“As regards to the dads, we’re just going to hope for the best on the day. I might need an oxygen tank on my back!”