Taylor MH

Mike Taylor (born 1964), also known by the alias Taylor MH, is an English athlete, public speaker, and author from Stourbridge, England. After being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) at the age of 26, he became the first person with MS to successfully swim a relay of the English Channel in 1997. Despite being unable to use his legs, he later completed a swimming relay of Loch Lomond in Scotland, a relay from Majorca to Menorca in the Balearic Islands, and three team relays from Santa Catalina Island to Santa Monica in California. In each case he raised funds to donate to non-profits such as the Multiple Sclerosis Society and the Myelin Research Project. He also founded the MS charity foundation Turning the Tides (TTT). Taylor is a frequent public speaker and has announced that he is releasing his memoir Making a Splash on History Publishing in 2012.

Early life

Michael Taylor was born in 1964 to Graham and Brenda Taylor of Pedmore, Stourbridge England. He is the youngest of three children, and at an early age had a strong affinity for sports, stating "as a child I drove everyone mad – I was always up to mischief; I lived outdoors, doing sports or riding my motocross bike." As a child he participated in cricket and mountain biked, and in school he played rugby for the Stourbridge Rugby Club and ran for the Midlands. He also hiked and skied.