|
"I made a promise to God that if he gave me
a second chance to walk and use my hands, I'd help others
less fortunate." Pat Rummerfield
 To paraphrase the legendary Will Rogers, Pat Rummerfield has
never met a challenge he didn't like.
With uncommon courage,
conviction of spirit and genuine humility, Rummerfield has
proven himself to be a legend in his own right. He is the
world's first fully functional spinal cord injury (SCI)
quadriplegic, to hold a NASCAR racing license (two NASCAR
races completed) as well as the world land speed record for
electric vehicles (245.5 mph), a tri-athlete and one of only
82 people in the world to run the Antarctica Marathon.
Recipient of the 2000 ESPN's Arete Amateur Athlete Of The Year
Award, the United States Marines Core Lead By Example
Medallion and the distinguished Human Spirit Award at the 2000
Christopher Reeve/Gate Way To A Cure Awards Ceremonies. Pat
was honored by throwing out the first pitch at a Chicago Cubs
baseball game. Recently he was the national spokes person for
the Coke-a-Cola Olympic Torchbearers. Pat is also a life long
member of the 200 MPH Club.
Pat Rummerfield could write the book on courage in the face of
adversity. Born in California, he was separated from his
siblings and raised in an Idaho orphanage until he was adopted
at age seven. The defining moment in his life happened in 1974
when at age 21, he was involved in a near fatal car accident,
He freely admits, "My best friend and I had had too much to
drink when he rolled my Corvette at 135 miles per hour." Far
from cavalier about the accident, Rummerfield says, "I made a
huge mistake and take full responsibility for my irresponsible
actions." That mistake cost him dearly.
With every rib fractured, his neck broken in four places, his
collarbone shattered, massive head injuries and an eye that
had to be put back into its socket, Rummerfield defied
doctors' expectations just by surviving. Since he was unable
to move from the neck down, his chances of long-term survival
were not good and doctors recommended he be sent to a
convalescent home. Deciding not to follow the doctors' orders,
Rummerfield felt that whatever time he had left he wanted to
spend in rehabilitation.
It was while learning to operate a wheelchair with his mouth
at a California rehabilitation center when another miracle
occurred. He recalls, "I was lying in bed one night thinking
how much I loved to play basketball and how I dreamed of
driving a race car one day when my big toe moved." With
characteristic optimism and determination, he spent the next
three years learning to walk and to use his hands. Over the
next fourteen years, he struggled through balance and
coordination problems caused by the accident to learn to jog
and ride a bicycle without falling down. Along the way, he
endured five knee surgeries and total reconstruction of his
right ankle. To this day, nerve damage to the right side of
his body has left him with an off-kilter gait.
Doctors, mystified by both Rummerfield's miraculous recovery
and his ability to maintain it, cite his can-do attitude,
genetic make-up and his rigorous commitment to a daily regimen
of physical therapy that includes lifting weights, jumping
rope and riding a stationary bike as factors in his recovery.
Dr. John McDonald, director of the Spinal Cord Injury Center
at Washington University School of Medicine, says "Most people
who have the same neck MRI as his are in a wheelchair."
Throughout the entire, grueling rehabilitation process,
Rummerfield took on additional challenges. He returned to
work, where he became a mining safety specialist in Idaho,
Wyoming, Montana and Illinois and he invented a
back-strengthening program that became internationally known
for reducing sprains and strains. He returned to school, where
he studied Underwater Engineering at the Diver's Institute of
Technology in Seattle. He is a single parent and father of two
daughters.
So complete was his rehabilitation by 1991 that he began to
compete in triathlons throughout the United States. In '92, he
took on the formidable Iron Man Triathlon in Hawaii - - a 2.5
mile swim, 112 mile bicycle race and 26.2 mile marathon.
In 1997, he ran the 1997 Antarctica Marathon - - one of only
82 people to complete the grueling 26.2 mile rite of passage
across glaciers, icy streams, rock beds and soggy beaches in
sub-zero temperatures and 45 mph winds. As Sal Ruibal wrote
about Pat in USA Today, "Finishing any marathon is tough.
Finishing the Antarctica Marathon is extremely tough.
Finishing the Antarctica Marathon after being diagnosed as a
quadriplegic is a miracle."
In recent years, Rummerfield has taken significant steps
toward realizing his dream of become a professional race car
driver. He has attended several of the nation's top racing
schools including the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance
Driving. World-renowned driving instructor Bob Bondurant on
Pat's driving ability. "I have thought and coached a lot of
racers, seldom have I seen the aggressive mental toughness and
focus that Pat has. Talent wise he has all the right stuff to
be very competitive, it's just a matter of seat time. Once he
gets that you will see and read a lot about him."
Fast Track Driving School at the Texas Motor Speedway.
According to the school's head instructor Matt Mullins, "Pat
Rummerfield's driving ability for a first-timer on a high
speed oval is impressively good -especially when you consider
what he has been through. With enough 'seat time' and
sponsorship, he could do very well." He proved his instructor
right in October '99 when he set the world land speed record
for electric vehicles at the Bonneville Salt Flats.
He's living proof that if you want something done, give it to
someone who's busy. He is currently employed as an Injury
Prevention Performance Assessment Coordinator at the
Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. He
maintains a two-hour daily workout regimen to prevent atrophy.
At nights and on weekends, he gives hope to others in
wheelchairs by visiting hospitals and rehab centers. He uses
his athletic endeavors to raise money for a number of
worthwhile charitable concerns.
He is co-founder of the NextSteps Foundation - - a non-profit,
501-C3 philanthropic organization, established in 1996. Its
mission is to help in the fight for the prevention, treatment
and cure of paralysis and to improve the quality of life for
those living with this debilitating condition. NextSteps
Slogan: "Racing To Cure Paralysis!"
A popular motivational lecturer, Rummerfield travels
nationwide to share his amazing story and to encourage others
to set goals and to never give up. Rummerfield is well aware
that his life has been blessed. "Whenever I meet someone in a
wheelchair," he notes, "I make a point of letting them know
that there truly is nothing special about me. I am no more
deserving of a miracle then anyone else."
At every step, Rummerfield continues to inspire through his
determination and his willingness to take on the next
challenge. He currently participated in and completed the Los
Angeles Marathon and in doing so captured the hearts of
Southern California's' media. |
