Grant Smith knows the importance of having access to adaptive sports equipment when an individual has challenges related to mobility.
“I think adaptive equipment means a lot for people with mobility challenges because it allows them to exercise and do things that they love, such as playing basketball, tennis, hunting, fishing and pickleball,” he said.
Now 23, Smith was 16 when he suffered a spinal cord injury. He was riding a dirt bike and approaching a jump when he was thrown over the handlebars and crashed, breaking his T6 vertebrae. He was life flighted to an area hospital, where he recovered for three weeks before being transferred to the Shepherd Center for rehabilitation. He spent an additional three weeks there, followed by three weeks in the center’s day program.
Fast forward to December 2024, when Smith, a Buford resident, was presented with a specialized wheelchair by the Kelly Brush Foundation, a Burlington, Vermont-based nonprofit with a mission to inspire and empower people with spinal cord injuries to be active. The foundation was established in 2006 by Kelly Brush and her family after Brush sustained a spinal cord injury while racing in an NCAA alpine ski race.
“Recovering from a spinal cord injury is hard, and requires a lot of prescriptive work under medical supervision,” said Edie Perkins, executive director of the Kelly Brush Foundation. “Adaptive sports help survivors break free from the monotony of physical therapy offices while finding joy — and healthy living — in activity by engaging with the world, moving their bodies, and spending time with family and friends.”
According to the Kelly Brush Foundation, adaptive sports equipment is highly specialized, can be expensive and is rarely covered by insurance. This is where the foundation’s work becomes crucial — to date, the Kelly Brush Foundation has awarded more than 1,700 adaptive equipment grants to people in 50 states, including Smith.
“It’s just very nice to have a foundation to help people get wheelchairs, since some wheelchairs are very expensive,” Smith said. “They’re always willing to go above and beyond.”
Smith was awarded his wheelchair through the foundation’s spring 2024 grant cycle, and he received his equipment in December.
“Grant really impressed us with his passion and excitement to be active, and to use his active lifestyle as a way to engage with the community,” Perkins said. “I’m so excited to see how this new equipment helps Grant live a fulfilled, active life.”
Smith said the adaptive wheelchair has made working out at CrossFit Faded Glory in Buford easier and more effective and has allowed him to play tennis and pickleball.
“The wheelchair makes it easier to turn and it’s easier to do shuttle runs,” Smith said, “and it also helps out with more weight when I do pull ups.
“The main difference between my adaptive wheelchair and regular wheelchair are that my adaptive wheelchair has cambered wheels, so it moves a lot easier and faster,” Smith said. “It also has straps to hold my feet in place and a strap around my waist so it holds me in place.”
Smith is a student at the University of North Georgia studying finance. His future plans include starting his own business or becoming a financial advisor.
FEATURED PHOTO: Grant Smith, a 23-year-old Buford resident, works out at CrossFit Faded Glory in Buford using his adaptive wheelchair provided by the Kelly Brush Foundation. Photo submitted by Grant Smith.
