Aidan Leverage, a 20-year-old rower from Leicester, is set to take on an extraordinary challenge at this year’s British Indoor Rowing Championships (BRIC), competing in two consecutive 2000-metre races to raise money and awareness for Epilepsy Action.
His efforts have already surpassed £1,000 in donations.
Aidan, now a student-athlete at Anglia Ruskin University, has lived with epilepsy since the age of four. His early years were marked by uncontrolled seizures, uncertainty, and stigma.
Picture credit: Aidan Leverage
“When I was younger, my epilepsy was very uncontrolled,” he said. “Doctors didn’t know the cause or my triggers. I faced a lot of stigma… I was known as the ‘weird kid with epilepsy’. Some parents were even scared their child would ‘catch it’, so I was left out of things.”
Sports had once been central to his childhood, but even there, epilepsy posed challenges. He recalled moments on the rugby and football pitch where he would suddenly stop and stare—episodes that other parents mistook for inattention, unaware he was having a seizure. Eventually, he had to stop playing for safety reasons.
Throughout his childhood, Aidan was hospitalised around 14 times due to tonic-clonic seizures and has lost large parts of his childhood memory. After years of trying different medications, he eventually found a treatment that has successfully controlled his epilepsy in recent years.
“Now I have finally found a medication that works, I feel unstoppable,” he said.
His journey into rowing began with his father, and he soon joined Leicester Rowing Club. “They were amazing with my epilepsy,” he said. “They were very caring and cautious of my condition.” Despite now being seizure-free, he still deals with significant medication side effects, including fatigue and mood swings. Early-morning training sessions, he said, can be especially challenging.
Aidan now rows competitively for Anglia Ruskin University and is determined to use his platform to show others—disabled or not—that limitations can be overcome.
“My message isn’t going just to people with epilepsy, it’s to everyone,” he said. “Being a rower with a disability can be hard, but I want to show people that nothing should stop you from pushing yourself.”
For his family, Aidan’s progress has been a source of hope. “I can’t even imagine how stressful it was for my parents,” he said. “That’s why my parents have always turned to Epilepsy Action when they felt completely lost. I want to be living proof for parents out there that it does get better.”
Aidan credits the stories he has read through Epilepsy Action and its Epilepsy Today magazine for fuelling his determination. He has already exceeded his fundraising target for the charity.
“Lots of doctors said I wouldn’t achieve anything,” he said. “I was told I would struggle academically and in sport. I’ve rejected those ideas. I’ve chosen to be a high achiever and not be held back by what some doctor is going to tell me.”
Among those cheering him on is fellow Leicestershire athlete and Olympic champion Lauren Henry. “I want to wish Aidan all the very best for his incredible challenge at BRIC this year,” she said. “He’s overcome huge obstacles and continues to inspire everyone with his resilience and determination. I’m sure he’ll have a fantastic day and absolutely smash it!”
Leverage will take to the rowing machines in Birmingham this weekend, aiming not only to complete his double 2000-metre challenge but to continue spreading his message: that no diagnosis should define a person’s potential.
To sponsor him, visit: https://www.justgiving.com/page/aidan-leverage-1?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=WA
