Client Bios

Tyler’s story begins when he was 17 years old and he went dirt bike riding at a local track with his brothers and a few friends. The track was in pretty bad shape and he knew it was dangerous because in the first run his brother fell and broke his clavicle. Tyler decided to stay to ride with his friends anyway while his mom took his brother to the hospital. It was the end of the season and he did not want to end it just yet. On his last run he overshot a jump and he landed too far for him to make the turn that followed the jump. He fell down 25 feet and landed on his head. He was taken in a helicopter to a trauma center where he was told that he had broken his spine, a few ribs, and that he had punctured a lung. He considers himself lucky that he was not injured worse than that. After 3 weeks he was transferred to Helen Hayes Rehabilitation Center where he stayed several weeks learning how to live his new life in a wheelchair and learning to accept it because they gave him no hope of walking again.

As soon as he heard about Push to Walk he started coming 3 times a week. He says that he has never been more exhausted than he was after his first workout with Eric. He says, “I was amazed at all the stuff I was able to do, like stand at a bar, ride a spin bike, and kneel at the box.” Those things gave him hope that he would soon be able to do more.

Tyler comes to Push to Walk during school breaks. He is attending Dowling College in Long Island, and hopes to come more often as soon as his schedule allows. He is majoring in Aviation Management with a concentration in Air Traffic Control and a minor in Professional Pilot. He hopes to become an air traffic controller after he graduates and trains in Oklahoma City. He also has a light sport airplane license and hopes to get his private rating soon. He is currently working at an airport in West Hampton Beach and loves it.

Tyler likes to stay very active. In the winter he likes to ski and volunteer as an adaptive instructor. In the summer he likes to mountain bike and go out on his boat.

Videos of Tyler’s Progress:

• Tyler Working Out 1
• Tyler Working Out 2