A mountain biker recovers from serious injury
Yesterday the Calgary Herald published the inspiring story of Jay McCue, a part-time professional mountain biker who was paralyzed in a biking accident at Panorama Mountain Village in British Columbia two years ago. Jay’s amazing story of determination has already landed him a spot on the CBC reality series “No Opportunity Wasted” where he’ll attempt to learn to surf. He’s also planning a sky diving trip proving to himself and everyone else that he has bounced back from his initially grim prognosis. Judging by his story and the recent proliferation of mountain bike documentaries I’d say there’s a good chance we may be seeing the Jay McCue story on film at some point.
Today Jay is hoping to buy an $18,000 functional electrical stimulation stationary bike to help with his rehabilitation which struck me as interesting: He was riding a bike when he was injured and now it’s a bike that will ultimately help him recover. Ryan Corey even helped raise $1,600 toward the cost of the machine while competing in the Ride Across America.
In the end, Jay sums it up best: “I’m still me — I’ve just got wheels instead of legs.” Great story!
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September 10th, 2008 at 10:40 am
[...] In yet another story of a mountain biker overcoming serious injury, the Victoria Times Colonist shares the story of Shauna Paisley Cooper, a 34-year old mother of twins who was paralyzed after a mountain bike crash despite wearing a helmet. Cooper broke a vertebrae and severed her spinal cord after misjudging a 10-foot (!) jump. Today Cooper is slowly recovering and her spirits are high as family and friends work to help her pay for medical bills and physical therapy. Our thoughts will certainly be with the Cooper family and we’re anxious to follow Shauna’s recovery progress. On a more positive note, IMBA has been making serious progress on the mountain bike trail access front. Do you ever wonder what happens with all those petitions and donations IMBA is always asking for (like these: 1 2 3)? Well this week we got to see that the letters and dollars are working: The U.S. Forest Service notified all employees that mountain biking will be managed the same as hiking and equestrian usage on USFS land. This means some forest areas that had been regulating mountain biking in the same way as motorized usage could be opening more trails to bikes in the future. Sweet! From the SportsOneSource article: Bedwell’s announcement comes at a time when some national forests have applied similar restrictions to bicycles and motor vehicles. IMBA believes most Forest Service staff understand bicycling is a quiet, non-motorized, low-impact activity, and hopes the letter provides the guidance necessary for consistent treatment of mountain biking on every national forest. [...]
October 20th, 2008 at 10:19 pm
My HERO’S!!!