Davy Zyw, who is living with motor neuron disease, is aiming to become the first person with MND to qualify for the Winter Paralympics in snowsports.
Tuesday, 06 January 2026
Doddie Aid, MND stories
Update (as of 24 February 2026): Davy is going to the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Paralympics! He'll be representing Great Britain on the world stage and making history as the first person with MND to compete in snowsports at the Winter Paralympics. Davy has already defied all the odds to achieve what he has in support of us and the wider MND community. He continues to put MND in the spotlight and remind us how important it is to find effective treatments, and one day a cure. We are so proud of him.
January can be a tough month for us all - but that’s where Doddie Aid can help make a difference.
Doddie Aid is our annual feel-good fitness challenge and biggest fundraising campaign, where participants log exercise miles from 1 January to 5 February. Walking, running, cycling, swimming or anything in between - it all helps to fund vital research into motor neuron disease (MND).
One person who knows exactly why the miles matter, is Davy Żyw.
Davy, 38, from Edinburgh, is living with MND. In the New Year, whilst many will be clocking up miles for Doddie Aid around their local park or in the gym, Davy will be logging his on a snowboard - as he is aiming to reach the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Paralympics, despite his MND gradually weakening the muscles he depends on to compete.
"January can be a dark month," Davy says, "Doddie Aid gets you moving, connects you with others, and raises millions for the people who need it. Everyone should sign up - pay £20, get a snood to keep your chin warm, and join a community doing something brilliant."
MND is not incurable, it's underfunded. Every mile logged for Doddie Aid is a step towards changing that. I’ll be doing mine on the slopes, but I’d encourage everybody to take part in their own way.
Davy, a former competitive snowboarder diagnosed with MND in 2018, is now racing on the international parasnowboard circuit and training alongside Team GB athletes as he chases the final results needed to keep his Paralympic bid alive. If successful, he will be the first UK Paralympian with MND in any sport, and the first alpine snowsports athlete with the disease anywhere in the world.
After receiving medical clearance last year to compete, Davy has travelled across Europe and North America to race against full-time professional para athletes - many of whom have spent years preparing specifically for the 2026 Games.
In the past few months, Davy has:
“This time last year it was a rogue dream,” Davy says. “Now I’m a contender. I’m improving all the time - and that’s something I never expected to see after being told I had MND.”
To have a chance of qualifying, he must podium at upcoming races in Switzerland and Austria in January - performances that would secure invitations to next-tier events and potentially the World Cup races in Canada. Only from there can he earn enough ranking points to reach the Paralympics.
In pursuit of his Paralympic dream, Davy is travelling with physiotherapists and coaches who understand MND, managing the risk of muscle lock-ups in freezing temperatures. For Davy, the disease affects his hands, arms and torso, causing muscle wastage, severe fatigue, cramping and loss of dexterity.
“I can rip down a snowboard cross course at full speed,” he explains, “but I need help putting my gloves on, or zipping up my jacket. That’s the reality of MND - I am focusing on what I can do, rather on what I can’t.”
Importantly, the competition is an escape from MND: “On the mountain, there’s no sympathy,” Davy remarks. “None of the everyday baggage of MND. When the helmet goes on, we’re all just athletes - and that feeling gives me a new life.”
The challenge isn’t just a physical one, it’s an emotional one too. Davy states that the greatest difficulty is time - both the time needed to travel and compete, and the limited time he knows he has left.
He has spent weeks abroad this season, supported by his wife Yvie and their young son at home in Edinburgh.
“My wee boy keeps asking me what medals I’m bringing home,” Davy says. “Being away from them is the hardest part by far. When you’re living with MND, every day with your family is priceless. That sacrifice weighs heavy - but that’s how much this dream means.”
Davy grew up snowboarding at Hillend just south of Edinburgh, competing in freestyle disciplines with sponsorship support before a knee injury ended his competitive hopes.
In a twist he never expected, MND brought him back to the sport.
“Snowboarding has given me freedom again - something that takes me far away from the dark places this disease can take you.”
Qualifying for Milan-Cortina 2026 would be, in his words, “almost unimaginable.”
It keeps me up at night and gets me up in the morning. To become the first person with MND on the Paralympic stage, wouldn’t just be my achievement - it would be for the whole MND community.
Until Davy reaches World Cup level, his Paralympic bid is almost entirely self-funded. His twin brother Tommy travels with him, and he has received backing from crowdfunding and from his employer, Berry Bros. & Rudd, whose support and philanthropic work has raised more than £700,000 for MND causes.
Like everyone living with MND, Davy knows that real change can only come through funding research. That’s why Doddie Aid is so important.
Paul Thompson, our Director of Fundraising, said: “Davy’s ability to overcome the limitations of his MND to achieve amazing things continue to astound everybody. If he is able to achieve his dream of becoming the first person with MND to compete at the Winter Paralympics it will be a huge statement for him, and the MND community. Of course, it’s not possible for everybody with the disease to compete at this level, but hopefully Davy can be seen as an inspiration. He continues to put MND in the spotlight, and remind us all how important it is to find effective treatments, and one day a cure, for this terrible illness.”
Davy knows qualifying for the Paralympics remains a long shot. But he says that is exactly why he must try.
“I thought I wouldn’t even be here within two years of diagnosis, and now I’m racing for a Paralympic place. This disease has taken so much, but it’s also given me one last chance to live the dream I had as a kid.
“If I can get to the Paralympics, it will put MND on the global stage. I owe it to everyone living with it. I owe it to my family. And I owe it to the kid who grew up at Hillend thinking anything was possible.”
You can keep up with Davy and his journey to the Winter Paralympics on his Instagram page: @rideformnd
Sign up for Doddie Aid today and log your miles this January for MND research. Find out more and sign up.
By subscribing, you confirm that you agree with our terms and conditions.