Two Paralympians with multiple sclerosis, who won gold medals in Rio in 2016, are delighted to have had their efforts recognized in their country’s New Year Honours list.
Kadeena Cox and Stephanie Millward have both been made a Member of the Order of the British Empire, which is denoted by adding the letters MBE after their names.
Kadeena Cox.
Both took to Twitter to express their pleasure. Kadeena, who received her award for service to athletics, tweeted: “SPOTY (BBC TV Sports Personality of the Year) nomination now MBE, 2016 couldn’t have been a better year. Thanks for all the support and here’s to a great 2017.”
Stephanie Millward.
And Stephanie, whose award was for her services to swimming, tweeted: “Thank you everyone 4 following me &supporting me for an amazing GOLD & MBE in 2016! Good luck for 2017!! I hope all your dreams come true!”
Kadeena, aged 25, lives in Leeds, West Yorkshire, and was diagnosed with MS two years ago. As featured here on September 18, she won gold medals in both cycling and athletics in Rio, becoming the first Briton since 1988 to win a medal in two sports at the same Paralympics. This was recognized publicly when she was selected to be Great Britain’s flag bearer at the games’ closing ceremony.
Stephanie, is 35 and lives in Corsham, Wiltshire. She was diagnosed with MS at the age of 17 and embarked on an 18-year journey to the top of the Paralympic podium, winning two gold medals at Rio.
MS Society Ambassadors Stephanie Millward (left) and Kadeena Cox. (Pic:: MS Society).
Both women are Ambassadors of the UK’s MS Society, on behalf of which Ian Fannon said: “We’re absolutely thrilled for Kadeena and Stephanie to be recognized in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List. They’ve both had a phenomenal year and these awards pay tribute to their dedication and achievements.
“We’re so proud to have Kadeena and Stephanie as MS Society Ambassadors, helping to raise awareness about this challenging and unpredictable condition.”
To that, I must add my congratulations for the great efforts and achievements of these Paralympians and MS warriors and for their subsequent well-deserved honours.
50shadesofsun.com is the personal website of Ian Franks, who is Managing Editor (columns division) of BioNews Services. BioNews is owner of 50 disease/disorder-specific news and information websites – including MS News Today. Ian has enjoyed a successful career as a journalist, from reporter to editor, in the print media. During that career he gained a Journalist of the Year award in his native UK. He was diagnosed with MS in 2002 but continued working until mobility problems forced him to retire early in late 2006. He now lives in the south of Spain. Besides MS, Ian is also able to write about both epilepsy and cardiovascular matters from a patient’s perspective and is a keen advocate on mobility and accessibility issues.
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