Briony Beattie
Fit For Purpose Mission
Briony Beattie
Author | Founder | Fundraiser
Hello, I’m Briony, a disabled woman living with cerebral palsy. I am the author, founder, and fundraiser of Fit For Purpose Mission, the official banner under which I achieve my mission of ‘raising funds and awareness for wounded veterans’.
Born in Rhodesia, which later became Zimbabwe, I grew up during a time of political turmoil with limited support for my disability. I received crucial care and education at the King George VI Centre in Bulawayo, where I learned to live independently despite my condition.
Enduring multiple surgeries and lengthy recoveries, my operations consisted of reconstructive surgery on both my hips and tendon loosing. I spent my formative years in South Africa before returning home to Zimbabwe, where I completed my education with the help of my godmother. Despite the obstacles posed by my disability, I have explored various job opportunities and navigated challenges such as transportation and accessibility in the workplace.
My adventurous soul shines through my love for thrilling escapades, such as skydiving. All eight of my skydives gave me a sense of freedom from frustration, with each skydive being different, whether it was due to the weather or coming down to land. I had always set a target of fifty jumps for myself but was never able to achieve it due to my disability preventing me from doing so again.​
The global pandemic changed everyone’s lives, but it also pushed organisations and charities to think outside the box in raising much-needed funds for their causes. The world of virtual events opened up a whole new world for me. To date, I have participated in ten separate events, cycling a total distance of two hundred and twenty-two miles and counting. I started writing as part of a healing process in the hope of putting some ghosts to rest and hopefully finding and accepting some inner peace.
In 2017, I published my autobiography and soon after started writing a series of books dedicated to all who serve their country.
Everyday life is exceptionally difficult for me to cope with, both in a physical and mental context. However, through my exposure to the amazing stories of the servicemen and women who have been injured, whether physically and/or mentally in recent wars I have been inspired by their courage and determination to heal and move beyond their disabilities, often soldiering on, no matter what!
This has helped me on a personal level when I have my own times of self-doubt. I am extremely humbled and grateful for the motivation these brave men and women continue to provide me.Through the years and wherever possible, I have tried to support veterans, as I have the utmost admiration for all who serve their country, so it was with great consideration and respect that, I decided to write about a wounded veteran.
By using my own experiences and challenges of living with a disability I felt I could bring the story and emotion to life. The Fit For Purpose trilogy is a dedication to all who serve.