The unique bond between a Paralympian and their guide
The unique bond between a Paralympian and their guide
On an overcast day in May I make a right turn on Olympic Parkway in Chula Vista, California. The mountains on my left create a natural boundary between the United States and Mexico; the division that the politicians talk about is rendered meaningless by the land that continues irresolutely over these hills. I turn right onto Gold Medal Way and see my destination.
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Today’s journey to the Elite Athletic Training Center began in London, during the 2012 Paralympic Games. That event was remarkable for many reasons, including the greatest surge of interest by the general public in this decades-old competition, traditionally overshadowed by its able-bodied kin.
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“So, he decided to take it upon himself to punish us, essentially.”
He pulled out a gun, pistol-whipped Justin’s friend, and held it to Justin’s head. The man’s wife came out of the restaurant and convinced him to stop.
For a moment.
“It wasn’t before we got back to the car that he started shooting. He hit me twice, missed me once, then shot my buddy twice.”
His friend turned out to be OK. Justin, however, knew his life was never going to be the same.
“It was immediate. Once the second bullet hit me, I was standing, and the next thing you know it was an unexplainable feeling of my whole spinal cord shaking. Immediately I crumpled down to the floor, fell, tried to get up and run, couldn’t move. That’s when I knew I was paralyzed.”