If you're looking for a heartwarming story this morning, look no further. Truckee's High Fives Foundation has been helping athletes who have been victims of serious injuries get back on their feet with grants to pay for medical and rehab expenses and prosthetic equipment for years, to the tune of $621,000 over the four years of the Foundation's history. Jake Hickman is one of their big success stories.
A year ago, the spritely young mogul skier and Squaw Valley local crashed during selections for the US freestyle ski team at Steamboat Springs, Colorado, resulting in a fractured T8 vertebrae and incomplete paralysis of the spinal cord. I.e., he couldn't feel or move anything below his chest. Scary, scary stuff.
But after a year of rehab and training with the generous support of the High Fives Foundation, Jake is back on his feet and his skis, and returned to the same US team selections where he had his accident last year. He got 24th, but regardless of the result, you have to get a warm feeling inside after reading (or watching the above video) about a recovery like that.
· Movie Monday: Jake Hickman - 1 Year Later [High Fives Foundation]