pushingthelimits.com

“Former” quadriplegic Aaron Baker is hitting the road, in style. The world youth motocross champion and professional biker who broke his neck to join the quad club in 1999 has gone on to defy the odds and make a remarkable recovery. Able to walk with a cane, the paralysis still affects him physically (technically he is still a quadriplegic, with severe muscle weakness) but not to the extent that he had feared when lying in the dirt after a crash, with no feeling below his neck. Or indeed to the extent that his doctors told him, their diagnosis was that the quadriplegia and paralysis would be irreversible.

A remarkable comeback, truly against the odds that gave Aaron a view of spinal injury that no-one can appreciate, or can even grasp, unless they experience it themselves. If it affected him physically, then it had much more effect on him mentally. The drive and determination that pushed him through rehabilitation and physiotherapy has seen him finish not one, but four Los Angeles marathons (using a tricycle, this year he completed 25 miles and then got up to walk the last mile!), and his latest outing will see him lead a team of cyclist across the USA to raise money and awareness for spinal injury rehabilitation.

That’s over 3,000 miles, from San Francisco to Washington DC. Setting off a couple days ago on the 10th of June, Aaron and his team are on the road right now, and aim to be in DC by september.

Supported and joined by a team of riders that are crossing the whole of the USA by bicycle, tandem, hand-cycle and pretty much anything else with wheels. Aaron and his team hope to raise $1,000,000 for C.O.R.E (Center for Rehabilitative Exercise) centers across the country, and raise awareness of the effects of spinal cord injury along the way.

Be sure to check out the Rise Above USA Bicycle Tour 2008 website for more info and regular updates from the tour as it makes it’s way.

Rise Above USA Bicycle Tour 2008