Lewis Bishop

An encounter with two Paralympians has helped to inspire and set Lewis Bishop on his own journey to compete amongst the best in the world.

Lewis was a prolific swimmer before a boating accident in Papua New Guinea changed his life.

The then nine-year-old was out on the water with family and friends knee boarding when his leg became damaged by the boat’s propeller. He was flown to Townsville and then on to Brisbane.

He started as a lower leg amputee, but the infection spread higher, and his leg was amputated further.

Lewis spent three months in hospital and several more months in rehab. His priority was to learn to walk again with a prosthetic leg – then it was to swim.

While he was recovering in Brisbane, Lewis was visited by Paralympic swimmer Brenden Hall, as well as Paralympian Scott Reardon who supported Lewis and encouraged him to get back into sport.

Lewis attended a Paralympics Australia Come and Try, and he began forging a new pathway towards the green and gold.