A WOMAN who was registered blind says she wants to inspire others as she prepares to make a trip abroad with Worcester Warriors.

Samantha Hayter, known as Millie, says at her lowest she didn’t want to leave her home, but has gone on to become a personal trainer, set up her own business, and play in the Warriors’ visually impaired team that is preparing for an international trip this September.

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The 33-year-old said: “I am visually impaired, I have been since birth.

“I am completely blind in my right eye and I actually have a prosthetic shell that covers the right eye that didn’t fully develop. I have nystagmus, involuntary movement of the eye, coloboma, defect of my iris, lens and retina, photosensitivity, sensitive to light/brightness, and a detached retina, which at the age of 19 years old led on to glaucoma. I am also a Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis sufferer, and this did damage my confidence levels growing up and still does now, especially when my weight fluctuates because of certain medications.”

Miss Hayter said at her lowest she would not leave home without someone being with her, due to her depression and lacking confidence.

"I put a lot of weight on and became so unfit I had to rest after a two min walk,” Miss Hayter said.

“I smoked and drank a lot to. In the end enough was enough.”

Miss Hayter said she turned her life around by being determined that her poor sight and health issues wouldn’t hold her back.

“I started martial arts and went to college again to train as a personal trainer,” she said.

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“I went on to study sports massage. It felt like a perfect progression and complemented my sight loss, as touch is my strength and I always wanted to eventually become a therapist. Now, I am qualified and have recently set up my own business Malvern Sports Massage.”

The Malvern Link resident is flying out with her Worcester Warriors team taking their brand of a visually impaired form of rugby to a new audience.

“This will be the first time I have stepped foot on a plane since I was eight,” Miss Hayter said.

“If you had told me I’d being flying out to a rugby tournament when I would not leave home, I would not have believed you. I want to inspire others now,” she added.