Hope Gordon, a 31-year-old Scottish athlete who crowdfunded £10,000 to pay for her own leg amputation after enduring a decade of chronic pain, is set to make history at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. She will become the first athlete to compete at a Summer Paralympics, Winter Paralympics, and Commonwealth Games across three different sports when she takes on parapowerlifting for Team Scotland.
Historic Achievement Across Three Sports
Gordon, from Rogart in the Highlands, will compete in parapowerlifting at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games. Her participation marks a unique triple: she has already represented Great Britain at the Paris 2024 Paralympics in paracanoeing and at the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics in Nordic skiing. Now, she aims to add a Commonwealth Games appearance to her resume, all while inspiring others.
“As soon as I saw the Commonwealth Games coming back to Scotland, I knew I had to be there – especially with the closing ceremony falling on the anniversary of my operation. I knew not trying would be a regret,” Gordon said. “I want to show myself, and everybody else, that going through with it was the right thing for me – nobody knows your own body as well as you do.”
A Decade of Pain and a Life-Changing Decision
Gordon was just 12 when she began experiencing knee pain during her first year of secondary school. Initially dismissed as growing pains, the condition worsened until she struggled to walk and relied on friends, crutches, and a wheelchair. She was eventually diagnosed with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), a rare, incurable condition causing severe, long-term nerve pain. The pain was so intense that she described it “as like having barbed wire dragged across your leg, but the wire was also on fire.”
“I was scared to go to shops, as anything or anybody touching my skin was unbearably painful – even the wind against my skin would hurt. I was basically a zombie for 10 years,” she recalled.
Despite years of treatment, her condition did not improve. At 14, she began considering amputation, and at 16, she told her parents she wanted the procedure. Because amputation fell outside NHS guidelines for CRPS, Gordon sought private treatment. She raised £10,000 through crowdfunding after finding a surgeon in England, with support from friends, family, and strangers. The operation took place in August 2016, when she was 21.
Newfound Freedom and Athletic Career
“For the first time in 10 years, the pain was gone,” Gordon said. “It felt like I could breathe again. I’d taken so much medication over the years, and I found myself only needing paracetamol.”
Following the operation, Gordon returned to sport through swimming. She transitioned to paracanoeing in 2018, making her international debut within a year and establishing herself as one of the sport's leading athletes. She won medals on the World Cup circuit and at major championships, eventually competing at the Paris 2024 Paralympics. She then switched to Nordic skiing, representing ParalympicsGB at the Beijing 2022 Winter Games. Now, she is preparing for a new challenge in parapowerlifting at the upcoming Commonwealth Games.
Inspiration for Others
The closing ceremony on August 2 falls exactly 10 years after her operation, adding extra meaning to the event. “To be part of that, especially with a home crowd behind you, is something really special,” she said. “Obviously, I want to compete, but it’s also about showing young girls that being strong is cool, and teaching children that people are different, regardless of what that looks like. It’s about showing people that everyone is different, but that’s not something to be scared of. If my story can help even one person, then that’s a good job done.”
