Spinal cord injured drives a “Race car”

Many of the spinal cord injured persons (especially the neck level) in our part of the country, tend to remain within four walls and be completely dependent for the rest of their lives.  Unwilling to accept the irreversible nature of the problem even years after the injury, the injured and their families go from one stream of medicine to the other hoping for some magic to occur.  Several factors play a role, some do not want to be seen in public in a wheelchair. The attitude of the person injured,  the psychological strengths before the injury, the ability to accept the irreversible nature of the problem and the ability to seek opportunities that are left, are all factors that makes the person succeed or fail.

Sam Schmidt, a former Race car driver had a spinal cord injury at the neck level and is completely paralyzed. Yet his determination, hard work, competitive spirit, and the love of racing is an inspiration for all of us.  After crashing his car at 210 mph and becoming a quadriplegic in 2001, Sam is back in the driver’s seat of a 2016 Corvette Z06 https://youtu.be/YyexjfEwp4k

Let’s motivate our Spinal cord injured friends to seek ways to get out of their rooms and venture outdoors.  With so many powered mobility tools and voice activated gadgets available nowadays in the Indian market, the opportunities are enormous. Yes, one might have to be dependent on others for a few things, yet not all of them.  The injury has spared the brain, we can make the best out of it and still be successful. It took 16 years for sam to get back in the race car. Let’s begin by getting out of the room.

“Paralysis is no longer a valid excuse to stay indoors”.