An inspirational man who was born and raised in Grimsby and started boxing as a way to cope with trauma has made it his mission to make it more inclusive to all and eliminate homophobia within the sport. Martin Stark, 49, who lived in the area until he moved to Australia in his mid-twenties, has gained worldwide attention since establishing the World Gay Boxing Championships, an inclusive organisation that works to promote boxing to those in the LGBTQ+ community. It was all because of a traumatic experience Martin had whilst visiting family in Grimsby in 2006 that encouraged him years later to pursue boxing as a way to cope with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
He quickly developed a passion for it and "fell in love" with the sport. READ MORE: Inspirational Grimsby man who went from running 5k a day to losing his legs to sepsis bravely shares traumatic ordeal Keep up to date with all the latest breaking news and top stories from Grimsby with our free newsletter 18 years ago, Martin was staying in Grimsby for several weeks when he was admitted to the Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital with gallstones that were blocking his liver. But during a procedure at Scunthorpe Hospital to remove the blockage, dye seeped into his pancreas, and Martin developed acute pancreatitis.
His lungs also collapsed and he developed septic shock. He was then placed into an induced coma, and underwent a tracheotomy - a procedure in which the windpipe is surgically opened to allow air into the lun.