ROBIN Womack will compete in front of 80,000 screaming fans at the Paralympics next month.

But nine years ago the Southend shot-putter was too insecure to even leave his front door.

For unlike the majority of the athletes soon to be competing in Stratford, Womack was an able bodied athlete until the age of 32.

And it was only then the keen Blues fan was told he would spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair.

“It was obviously a tough time for me and something horrible to have to go through,” said Womack, 41.

“I had noticed for a while that my leg was dragging behind me when I walked and when I was playing football for Southend Collegians I kept on falling over.

“It got to the point when I had to give up the game and when I eventually got to see a consultant I was told what had happened.

“I had a prolapsed disc which had compressed on to my spine and cut through my spinal chord.

“After being told that, I had a 10 hour operation and spent many months in Stoke Mandeville hospital.”

However, it was when Womack returned to Southend that he found it hard to adjust to his new way of living.

“To begin with I wouldn’t leave the house because I felt very insecure and I didn't go outside for quite some time,” said Womack.

“You think about all the things you think you can’t do like driving, playing football and things you can’t print in a family newspaper and you also question why it had to happen to you.

“I was told my injuries would happen to one person in every million and that’s hard to deal with when you’re the one.

“I’d always been a good person and I’d worked in customer services so I’d spent all my time helping people too so it was hard to accept.

“But gradually I did and I’ve always been strong minded which helped.”

Sport also played a part in Womack’s recovery at Stoke Mandeville.

He immediately excelled at a number of activities including swimming, archery, bowls and cycling.

But it was athletics where Womack shone brightest right from the start “In my first ever shot putt throw I broke the British Record for my then classification,” said Womack, who will compete in Stratford on Saturday, September 1.

“It was there that I also met my first coach Mike Ward and he told me what I would be capable of achieving.

“Because of that I got to meet the Paralympic squad before the Athens Games in 2004 and I’ve been working towards emulating them ever since.”

Year by year, Womack continued to improve and he came agonisingly close to making the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing.

However, after suffering that disappointment, he was determined to make sure he made it to London.

And he now cannot wait to take part.

“Like everyone else I watched the Olympics on television and it gave me goosebumps knowing I was going to be competing there soon,” said Womack.

“The day I’m in action Oscar Pistorius is running so I think the stadium will be full and it’s just going to be a fantastic experience.

“There are probably more lows than highs during a career of an athlete and it costs me £8,000 a year to fund what I do.

“But getting to London has made everything worthwhile.

“I’ll have loads of my family and friends there to cheer me on, and I’m a very patriotic person so it will be a huge privilege for me to represent my country.

“Everyone always tells me I should be proud of what I’ve achieved as well and I guess in getting to London I finally am.”