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This photo is from the Christopher Reeve Foundation luncheon in Boston. John Carson is on the left. He was a competitive Ironman tri-athelete, who was hit by a car when training on his bike a couple of years ago. The accident left him paralyzed and unable to walk. No one knew if he would ever walk again.
Working through the Reeve Foundation, he has thrown himself into cutting-edge physiotherapy, and he can not only walk, but he has completed a post-accident Ironman (that is a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike and full 26.2-mile marathon completed in less than 17 hours) ... and he raced the Boston marathon on Monday.
This is remarkable, considering he doesn't have feeling below his upper thighs. He has learned how to balance, walk and run by controlling his legs using cues from his thigh muscles. If he isn't looking at his feet, he doesn't even know they are there.
John is an incredibly well-spoken and inspiration man. I couldn't find any hint of anger or regret in how he describes what has happened to him, or how it has changed his life. He's full of humor, energy and most of all, an amazingly positive attitude. (Don't you love his T-shirt!)
It is moments like this that make me so happy that Forno Bravo, and I on a more personal level, are involved with the Christopher Reeve Foundation.
Working through the Reeve Foundation, he has thrown himself into cutting-edge physiotherapy, and he can not only walk, but he has completed a post-accident Ironman (that is a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike and full 26.2-mile marathon completed in less than 17 hours) ... and he raced the Boston marathon on Monday.
This is remarkable, considering he doesn't have feeling below his upper thighs. He has learned how to balance, walk and run by controlling his legs using cues from his thigh muscles. If he isn't looking at his feet, he doesn't even know they are there.
John is an incredibly well-spoken and inspiration man. I couldn't find any hint of anger or regret in how he describes what has happened to him, or how it has changed his life. He's full of humor, energy and most of all, an amazingly positive attitude. (Don't you love his T-shirt!)
It is moments like this that make me so happy that Forno Bravo, and I on a more personal level, are involved with the Christopher Reeve Foundation.