Imagine you're 25. You're a good lookin' kid from San Diego California raised in the very surf that has made Southern California the envy of every teenager alive. You're a lifeguard, you're surfing every day while earning a degree in Literature. The surf eventually leads you to the mountains where your ability to carve a nice wave translates well on a snowboard flying down the side of some of the best vertical in the Sierra Mountains . You're so good – you've turned pro and making a name for yourself in the aggressive sport of Boardercross. You have sponsors, you win a few contests………
Life is good. Very good.
But one day – it all changes. A bad day on a motorcycle changes life forever.
Meet Jeremy McGhee. On Sept 30 th , 2001 a day of running errands turned ugly when he was cut off by a car, thrown from his motorcycle and left a paraplegic. What does that mean? He can't feel anything from his ribs down.
Now what do you do?
It took him a year. One whole year before he learned to swim again. But every day, as a part of his rehabilitation, Jeremy got wet. And he worked hard to learn to do the very thing that only months before was as easy as breathing. Now, it was the hardest thing he had ever done. He invented his own make shift breath stroke to compensate for muscles that were failing him. But he worked. He knew that if he could master this again – he could do anything.
I'm sure you know what's next – he swam the 1.2 miles at this years San Diego Triathlon Challenge. He also started surfing again - that's him cutting it up on the left. At the triathlon, he hooked up with fellow surfer, Paralympic swimmer and quadriplegic Joe MaCarthy. That's what happens out there – things you probably don't even know about. These athletes get to meet others, like them, who had to reinvent themselves to pursue the sports they once excelled at. They see when they look into the eyes of another who has been on this journey that failure is not an option. Keep moving forward and you will prevail.
But this story is far from over.
Last year Jeremy asked the Challenged Athletes Foundation for a new monoski so he could return to the mountains. At the time, he had been in a monoski a couple times when one was available in the local mountains. But it wasn't the same. He was a pro. How could he accept an occasional turn in a ski that wasn't his when he once commanded the slopes?
Coldwell Banker agreed. As part of their sponsorship, they wanted to adopt some athletes and raise funds for specific athletes. The Pacific Beach office immediately grew attached to Jeremy and his wish. After all, he was one of them. He could have been their son, their best friend. It was natural for them to want to get Jeremy back on the mountain.
The CAF has for years funded one of the world's best monoskiers, Kevin Brambel. In fact, as I write this, Kevin is returning home from the Alpine World Championships in France were he won a gold medal in the downhill. It was a natural fit – we had to hook Jeremy and Kevin up. We knew Kevin would be a good guide for Jeremy as he rediscovered his need for speed in a different kind of apparatus.
It was settled. Coldwell Banker would raise the funds for the $3,700 monoski – Kevin would make it for him from scratch and bring him back to the mountain. That's part of the magic of the Challenged Athletes Foundation. What you don't see is it's much more than a grant. It's life.
Instead of me telling the what's next, I'll let Jeremy speak for himself. This is an email we received from him while he was testing out his new monoski for the first time in Aspen–
“The mono-ski works perfectly. It's good in the park and on the steeps too. Everyone's lusting over it. It's beautiful.
Everyone
that has seen me ski says I've got potential to go far. It's
only my 2nd
season and I'm clearing some sizable tables already. I now have
even less fear than before my injury. My volunteer helpers can no longer
keep up. I had to get a pro boarder cross racer and ski racer chick to
follow me around. I hope I can pull this off. I need as much
time on the hill as possible if I want to be ready for X Games in 2005.
I owe all this to you. I did not have the cash to buy a mono-ski, not to mention one as nice as this nor one as suitable for freestyle riding. You also put me in contact with Kevin. Who else better to give me some pointers than the fastest guy in the world!
Thank
you for this vision! I'm the first on the mountain in the morning and
the last coming off in the afternoon. I'm the first in bed at night,
skipping the partying, and the first up in the morning. I've been stretching,
eating right, and hydrating like crazy. I want to be a champion.
I'm gonna check out the X Games while I'm here. Might as well. Hopefully we'll get in with the right people.
I'm having a blast.
Thank you so much for this opportunity!
Jeremy
And so you have it. A young man's dream still in tact. Don't for get
the journey of Jeremy. You see him fly down the mountain. You see him cut swiftly
through the ocean waters of the La Jolla Cove. What you never saw was the pain
it took to get there. You never saw him struggle with his new body that was
once an instrument of perfection. What he has now discovered is it still is.
Don't be fooled when you see a challenged athlete kick your butt in a triathlon or on a mountain. They earned that the hard way. Thanks to your help – they have the opportunity to do so and keep moving forward. For Jeremy's complete story, click here http://www.challengedathletes.org/caf/people.asp?id=384
The 11 th Annual San Diego Triathlon Challenge opens for registration next week. Get ready. Don't get left behind – too many people are counting on you for their freedom.