Finding ‘me’ through wheelchair basketball: an autoethnographic study of finding acceptance of a new identity after acquiring a disability through surgical removal of a sacral chondrosarcoma

PURPOSE: This study explores the first-authors experience of acquiring disability through treatment for sacral chondrosarcoma, a form of primary bone cancer. It examines the psychological, physical, and social impacts of this life-altering illness, particularly identity loss, and how wheelchair basketball, and the community surrounding it, played a transformative role in reshaping and accepting their new disability identity. METHOD: An evocative autoethnography approach was used to present subjective, raw, emotional realities to encourage readers' immersion, empathy, and reflection. This method highlights how sport can support identity (re)formation following life-altering illness. RESULTS: This autoethnography consists of nine short stories detailing the first authors experiences through and beyond cancer treatment. These stories explore the disintegration and reconstruction of identity, culminating in the discovery and acceptance of a new identity through sport. CONCLUSIONS: This evocative autoethnography provides insight into the lived experiences of disability acquired through cancer treatment. It explores identity loss, the transformative power of sport in the (re)discovery of identity, and the nuanced components that intersect to support patients to form new identities post-diagnosis. These stories may resonate with others facing life-altering illness or injury, offering reassurance that (re)discovery of self is possible.