That’s a sentiment echoed by team-mate Selina Prieto, 37, who is also evangelical about the power of sport.
“For me, when I was losing my vision, sport is what saved me. It gave me purpose again.
“Going blind wasn’t the end of the world. I could still do sport. Sport doesn’t care who you are. Anybody can do it.”
Prieto was a sprinter before taking up football. She competed at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in the T11-12 100m.
But a knee injury meant she could no longer compete at the highest level in that event, so she switched to football.
“Going from an individual sport to a team sport was tricky to start off with,” she said.
“But having team-mates who are now friends, that you can share these experiences with, is quite special.”
For Prieto, who has a 19-month-old baby, the England call-up was extra special. She wants to show her daughter “that it doesn’t matter how old you are, or what barriers you have, you can still achieve big”.
“Being a parent and trying to be an elite athlete is hard, but I love it. I want to be the best mum I can, but I also still want to be the best athlete I can, which can be a bit of a juggle at times.
“I tend to try and train when she’s either at nursery a couple of afternoons a week, or when she’s napping, which are getting less and less as she gets older. But sport is addictive and I just want to do it for as long as possible.”