ISLE of Wight darts ace Keegan Brown has had a spectacular couple of months – competing in two finals and even playing in a hangar on a Royal Navy aircraft carrier.
The 32-year-old feared his career might be over when he was diagnosed with Sjögren's Syndrome, an autoimmune disease which can cause joint pain, among other symptoms.
It caused him to experience a form of arthritis in his right hand – his playing hand – affecting his wrist and knuckles.
Keegan must now take medication to stop the disease from flaring up, and he is keen to thank the team at St Mary’s Hospital for all their help.
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“It’s agony when untreated – absolutely awful,” said Keegan.
“They told me the tablets could take up to 12 months to kick in, and ten months in, I’m now noticing a difference.
Back in March, Keegan clinched second place at a PDC Challenge Tour final in Germany, and a couple of weeks ago, he got another second-place finish at Milton Keynes.
On both occasions, he lost 5-2 in the final.
Keegan is now an ambassador for the newly formed Youth Darts Academy on the Isle of Wight, and to keep sharp between competitions, he competes in ADC Vaults at the Ambassador Freehouse in Gunville.
Sponsored by Red Funnel, Keegan is heading to Milton Keynes once again in August to compete in another competition, and he recently hit 25 county darts appearances for Essex.
As an ambassador for the Armed Forces, he even got the chance to play darts on the HMS Queen Elizabeth in Portsmouth this month, which he said was a great experience.
The PDC star was invited by the Royal Navy Darts Association, joining Alan Soutar, MC John McDonald and referee Huw Ware.
The event gave darts players from the Royal Navy the chance to take on both Keegan and Alan.
