The Invictus Games: Why they matter to competitors and their families

WHEN Karen Cromey-Hawke watches her husband Rob competing in the Invictus Games next week, she, along with all the spectators watching their loved ones, will feel an inestimable sense of pride.

It will mark the latest step in Rob’s recovery and a chance, too, for his family to show their love and support.

The former soldier cruelly lost his short-term memory, and a lot of his long-term memory, when he was blown up while serving in Afghanistan in December 2012. Other than an injury to his back, Rob appeared unscathed, but the blast caused permanent brain damage. It meant that he struggled to remember anything about the attack or details of his life with Karen and her two sons before his injuries.

The road to recovery has been a testing one at times but the therapeutic power of sport and events like the Invictus Games have been crucial to the physical and mental wellbeing of injured veterans like Rob.

The Games were first staged in London in 2014 to great acclaim and this year’s action gets underway in Orlando, Florida, on Sunday. The Paralympics-style event, set up by Prince Harry, will see more than 500 competitors from 15 nations taking part in 10 sports.

“When Rob took part in the London Games two years ago we didn’t know what to expect but it was fantastic. The atmosphere, the crowds and the TV coverage were brilliant and I’m anticipating the Games in Orlando to be even bigger,” says Karen.

Rob, who won two gold medals in 2014, is competing in cycling, sitting volleyball, swimming and track athletics this time round. Watching him compete in Florida will be Karen, her two sons from a previous relationship, as well as their five-month-old daughter Pippa. His mum and brother, will also be heading to the sunshine state to cheer him on.

Karen, a teacher from Skipton, in North Yorkshire, met Rob in a bar in Rutland five years ago. Both were separated from their partners and Karen was living in Germany with her sons Connor and Charlie, now 14 and 17.

Rob had joined the Parachute Regiment at 19 before going off to Sandhurst and becoming a captain in the Royal Engineers. The pair hit it off and Karen moved back to the UK, becoming a deputy headmistress in Skipton, 50 miles from Rob’s base at Catterick. They had been together 18 fantastic months when Rob was sent on his second tour of Afghanistan.

He returned home where his injuries were diagnosed. “Often when people are injured like this they worry that they aren’t going to be able to do sport again, let alone at a competitive level, which is why events like this are so important because it’s not just the sense of achievement but it also helps in their recovery.”

The Royal British Legion is supporting the friends and family of the UK Invictus Games Team, including Karen, as part of its work to recognise the valuable contribution they make to the recovery of wounded, or sick Service personnel and veterans.

“It makes such a difference for friends and family to be there because it adds to the atmosphere and the buzz, but more importantly you’re able to share in the whole experience,” says Karen.

“I had no connection with all this until Rob had his injuries but when you go to these events it really opens your eyes and you can’t help but be blown away by the sense of drive and determination of those taking part, it’s really humbling.”

Which is why the Games mean so much to those competing and their families watching from the sidelines. “It’s really emotional, it’s hard to describe you just feel like your heart is going to burst with pride.”

The Invictus Games run from Sunday, May 8 to May 12.