As a Paralympic gold medallist, Jo Butterfield MBE believes she has been blessed with an outlook that has allowed her to maintain a positive attitude throughout all the challenges she has faced, including the day she discovered she would be wheelchair bound for the rest of her life.
Even after suffering another devastating blow when diagnosed with life threatening cancer last year, her response was to focus fully on what she had to do to give herself every opportunity not only to recover, but to be at the Milan-Cortina Winter Paralympics in 2026.
However, her battle to recover has offered an opportunity to reflect and in a powerful interview with British Curling as part of UK Anti-Doping’s Mental Health Awareness Week (13-17 May), the 45-year-old who switched sport from athletics to curling after winning that Paralympic gold medal, has outlined her renewed understanding that she must work as hard on keeping her mind fit as she does on being in the best possible physical shape to compete. 
Having missed the entirety of last season while undergoing surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, Butterfield will rejoin her colleagues in the British Curling Wheelchair Curling squad when they begin training for the 2024/25 campaign in July, but began by acknowledging that this has been the most difficult year of her life.
“Getting into a wheelchair was hard, but this was so much harder,” she said.
“The wheelchair was life-changing, but there was never the suggestion that it was life ending which was the difference with my cancer diagnosis.
“ I think that was a bigger mental challenge, but me being me, what I always try and do is stay in the present and think that I actually can’t change that I am in a wheelchair and I can’t change that I have been diagnosed with breast cancer, but I can just do what I have been told to do.
“I am not saying for one minute that worrying about it or getting upset doesn’t happen at moments, but whenever I find myself going there I know it is not going to change anything.
“It’s just going to make me spiral and make me go into a bad place and it’s not going to help me, so I just don’t do it.”
Butterfield recognises that her capacity to do so is not something she can take for granted, but also credits wife Rhiannon for her huge influence on her outlook.
“I wish there was a secret key and I don’t think there is,” she said.
“Some of it comes down to my personality and the way I am made up is just a bit different to other people, but I think for me it is being grounded.
“I am probably more content than I have ever been in my personal life and in my work life and everything else. That is huge, so if I am happy with where I am in life it means if other things in life come along it kind of bounces off me a little bit. 
“Being married provides another level and makes me feel whole and I didn’t realise I needed that beforehand but when you find that person you want to spend the rest of your life with it definitely makes you feel more whole and content.”
She is also grateful to the way fellow athletes and support staff have responded to her cancer diagnosis, while she believes a wide array of interests has been beneficial, including taking up painting, which she now intends to continue with as a source of enjoyment and therapy.
However, nothing speaks to her natural disposition more than the context in which she places her deepened understanding of the importance of working on mental health when explaining how she believes that its relative invisibility makes it harder to deal with than severe physical impairment.
“Mental Health Awareness Week is incredibly helpful,” said Butterfield.
“It is really important to check in on each other and being in a team environment now has been hugely beneficial to me.
“Across the whole programme, it has been just little things like someone else wearing a facemask in the National Curling Academy because they had a slight cough and didn’t want to make me more vulnerable.
“To have people around me and doing that was massive and we are lucky in a team environment like curling to have that, but other athletes are feeling the same.
“Generally they are the only people that know what it is like to be pressured at this level, so talking to each other and being open – whatever it might be – your teammates will understand.
“Just verbalise it and have that conversation because it is likely that someone else has felt the same and might be able to help you understand how to come through that.
“I struggle with it in some way because it is not something I have had to deal with myself.
“Every single day, someone will ask me, because my disability is so visible, how I am doing. I never have a day go by when someone doesn’t ask me that. 
“I don’t crave that and I don’t need that, but the point is it has made me realise that someone with a mental disability or a mental health issue can go weeks and weeks or even months without anyone asking them how they are and no one realising that they have an issue because it is not visible.
“They might never get asked if they are ok. I think we are getting better at that, but I am very grateful that my biggest struggle is visible and I want other people who have their biggest struggles that are not visible to have that same feeling that people care.
“I think campaigns like this will help with that.”
The full text of British Curling’s interview with Jo Butterfield MBE can be found below:
British Curling: Having established yourself in the Scotland Wheelchair Curling team last year and won a medal at your first World Championships, how hard has this past season been since you received your cancer diagnosis last August?
Jo Butterfield: For any athlete not being able to do what you love to – it’s kind of what makes me, is really hard and it has been a hard year for me. I would have to say that this is probably the toughest year yet without a doubt.
Getting into a wheelchair was hard but this was so much harder. With the wheelchair and all of the injuries I have been through it was very much a matter of fact, this is what it is and it was life changing but there was never the suggestion that this was life ending and I think the difference with my cancer diagnosis was is this life ending? I think that was a bigger mental challenge, but me being me, what I always try and do is stay in the present and think that I actually can’t change that I am in a wheelchair and I can’t change that I have been diagnosed with breast cancer but I can just do what I have been told to do. That is eat well, sleep well, take the medicine and follow the doctor’s advice day-to-day and worrying about it and getting upset about it, I am not saying for one minute that doesn’t happen at moments, but whenever I find myself going there I know it is not going to change anything. It’s just going to make me spiral and make me go into a bad place and it’s not going to help me, so I just don’t do it.
BC: Everyone involved with our programme has been inspired by the way you have responded to yet another huge challenge. What devices have you used to continue to stay as positive as you are?
JB: I wish there was a secret key and I don’t think there is, some of it comes down to my personality and the way I am made up is just a bit different to other people, but I think for me it is being grounded and grounded. Knowing where I am right now and being happy and content in life, I am probably more content than I have ever been in my personal life and in my work life and everything else. That is huge, so if I am happy with where I am in life it means if other things in life come along it kind of bounces off me a little bit.
Being married provides another level and makes me feel whole and I didn’t realise I needed that beforehand but when you find that person you want to spend the rest of your life with it definitely makes you feel more whole and content. So that is part of it. The other part is that as an athlete I really want to train and I really want to compete and do my job, so for me being injured, maintaining contact with my sport has been huge.
So that was a big help. I could have easily have just disappeared and gone into my own little world and dealt with cancer and if that is what others need to do then that is ok and best for them but for me maintaining that contact, keeping in touch with team mates and attending training when I could was huge.
The reality that life continues and having a routine helped me. Day-to-day life was still important and, whilst I might not be able to compete at the most recent World Championships, I could still train and these things I am doing now I know will help me in the future.
So the training just now will help for next year with injuries or illness overcome. That helps, but having things outside of sport helps me as well. So on the one hand having that contact and on the other having other interests is important and I think having both facets has helped me maintain good mental health.
One day we are all going to end in sport. It is going to come one day for everyone and as much as we love what we do it will come to an end either through illness, injury or retirement in general, so having other things outside of that that mean a lot to you to keep you fulfilled and content is as important as having that sport that defines you a bit while you are an athlete.
I do have lots of things that I love to do. Those are the things you turn to when it is hard. Actually what was hard for me was the travel. I love travelling and that was also taken away from me and so all of a sudden you get this news, the diagnosis and you realise I can’t do this and I can’t do that, but I started painting. Randomly, I saw a picture and I thought why not let’s try it and discovered that I really loved painting. So it is trying to fill that time with something else so having other things than the things I cannot do. I couldn’t compete and I couldn’t travel so I had to look for what I could do.
Painting for me is now something I will always do… find something that takes your mind off the negative things that are going on.
BC: Do you feel campaigns like Mental Health Awareness Week can make a difference in sport?
JB: Mental Health Awareness Week is incredibly helpful. I think it is a personal thing for yourself to check in with yourself and also check in with others as that is as important as you are not doing this by yourself, especially in curling this is a team sport after all. I think it is really important to check in on each other. Being in a team environment now has been hugely beneficial to me Across the whole programme, it has been just little things like someone else wearing a facemask in the NCA because they had a slight cough and they didn’t want to make me more vulnerable and pick up whatever they might have had, that visible sign of support was huge. People were just thinking about things like that and asking me how I was doing. To have people around me and doing that was massive and we are lucky in a team environment like curling to have that but the key is other athletes are feeling the same. Generally they are the only people that know what it is like to be pressured at this level, so talking to each other and being open – whatever it might be – your team mates will understand.
Having open conversations when you are struggling, especially with injury you might feel that you are not in that loop, just verbalise it and have that conversation because it is likely that someone else has felt the same and might be able to help you understand how to come through that.
It is crucial as an athlete to find that balance. Outside of sport, as important as sport is to us athletes, and as much of a priority it has to be at this level, one day it will be over and you never know when that is going to be so just make sure it is not the be all and end all. So whatever those other things are that you enjoy, whatever it might be, just make sure you have something.
Poor mental health can have such a huge impact on people. I struggle with it in some way because it is not something I have had to deal with myself. I do sometime struggle with the notion of what it is like for some people. Every single day because of my disability, someone will ask me, because my disability is so visible, they will ask me how I am doing. I never have a day go by when someone doesn’t ask me that. I don’t crave that and I don’t need that, but the point is it made me realise that someone with a mental disability or a mental health issue can go weeks and weeks or even months without anyone asking them how they are and no one realising that they have an issue because it is not visible. They might never get asked if they are ok. I think we are getting better at asking each other – saying how are you doing – so campaigns like this week or month are really important just to highlight just how we can talk about mental health, it is ok to talk about it and it should be for that very reason and I am very grateful that my biggest struggle is visible and I want other people who have their biggest struggles that are not visible to have that same feeling that people care and I think campaigns like this will help with that.
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