At the age of 5, I had surgery on my hips. I spent most of that year in gigantic double leg casts, unable to do much other than sit on the couch and watch YouTube videos.
My favorite videos were from a man named Aaron Fotheringham. He had spina bifida and was in a wheelchair, just like me—but he was also an extreme athlete. He invented a sport called WCMX, short for wheelchair motocross.
At skate parks, people practice WCMX, which is inspired by skateboarding and BMX biking. I thought the sport was incredibly cool, and I loved watching Aaron perform crazy tricks. At just 14 years old, he became the first person to do a backflip in a wheelchair.
One day, I got a surprise visit from Aaron Fotheringham! After hearing from my mother, he had come to see me and brought me a special WCMX chair! As soon as I was out of my casts, I started practicing.