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Former Premier League referee, Uriah Rennie, has revealed he is learning to walk again after being left paralysed from the waist down.
Rennie made history in 1997 when he became the English top-flight's first black match official, before going on to referee over 300 matches in the division.
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Once described as the 'fittest' referee in world football, the 65-year-old called time on his career in the game in 2008.
But recent events mean Rennie's life is now a far cry from the fast-paced action of the Premier League, with a rare neurological condition leaving him wheelchair-bound.
After experiencing intense back pain while on holiday in Turkey last year, the ex-match official was admitted to Northern General Hospital in October.
Opening up on his ordeal, he told the BBC: "I thought I had just slept funny on a sun lounger, I was hoping to go paragliding but because of my backache I couldn't go.
"By the end of the holiday I couldn't sleep a wink from the pain, and by the time I got home I could barely walk."
Rennie was then told by doctors that he had an inoperable neurological condition, spending several months in hospital.
He continued: "I spent a month laid on my back and another four months sitting in bed.
"They kept me in hospital until February, they found a nodule pushing on my spine and it was a rare neurological condition so it's not something they can operate on.
"I have had to learn to move all over again, I'm retraining my legs."
Having always led an active lifestyle, the life-changing news understandably came as a huge shock to Rennie.
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The Englishman admitted: "It was strange - I went from running around the city to in essence being in traction for such a long time.
"I didn't have any previous back problems but quite suddenly I wasn't able to move and was in a spinal unit."
Describing his current movement, he said: "I can move my feet and I can stand with a frame attached to my wheelchair but I need to work on my glutes."
Despite the life-altering diagnosis, Rennie has refused to let this get in the way of his plans to serve his local community.
A magistrate in his home town of Sheffield since 1996, the Jamaica-born has campaigned to improve to issues such as equality and inclusion in sport, as well as addressing mental health and deprivation.
Rennie was on the verge of starting a new role as Sheffield Hallam University chancellor when he first went into hospital.
And while his recent experiences may have halted him briefly, the ex-referee is now set to officially start in the role in May, at the same university where he studied for an MBA whilst still refereeing.
But Rennie was never really out of action in the first place, who revealed: "I carried on working with community sports teams while in hospital, directing them from my bed."
And his tireless spirit was just as clear as he shared his refusal to give up on walking again.
Paying tribute to those around him during the tough time, Rennie said: "It has been frustrating but family and friends have been invaluable, the hospital was absolutely superb and the university has been exceptional."
He then vowed: "I'm aiming to be the best I can physically.
"No one has told me I won't walk again, but even if someone did say that I want to be able to say I did everything I could to try.
"Lots of people are in wheelchairs, but it doesn't define them.
"It has made me resilient and forceful and I will never give up - I'm not on my own, there is a village helping me."
