Competing after a life threatening injury

From the first day I could walk, I always wanted to go fast.

Whether I was riding my snowboard, skateboard, or dirt bike, I was always trying to find a way to go full throttle. The sensation of speed is the reason I fell in love with snowboarding and motocross. I never imagined that the sport I love would take away the use of my arm.

As the story often goes, it began as a typical day. I was at a motocross competition in Worthman, Texas, at the Freestone Country Raceway, where the rainstorm from the previous night left the track muddy and deep. During a practice lap, my back tire slid out on the finish line jump. The rider behind me had no time to react and landed directly on my neck. The impact knocked me out for several minutes, and when I woke up, I immediately knew that something was wrong. The official diagnosis was something that no athlete ever wants to hear: full paralysis of my dominant right arm. It was a tough pill to swallow, but I was determined race again, and started rehabilitation full of hope and ambition. Then, about a month after my accident, a drunk driver blindsided my father's truck, causing us to flip multiple times. After that, the hope of gaining my arm back vanished.