Alex Abbott wasn’t always open to sharing his story, not least to a room of teenagers.
“I still get butterflies, but I feel stronger when I open up,” says the 33-year-old from Colborne, Ontario. “If I can help one person from having a bad experience, it’s worth it.”
For the past three years, Alex has volunteered at Sunnybrook’s P.A.R.T.Y. (Prevent Alcohol and Risk-Related Trauma in Youth) Program, supported by philanthropic generosity.
A professional freestyle motocross rider, Alex recalls learning backflips with a motorbike in a foam pit at a training facility a decade ago, when the bike fell onto him. Immediately, he knew he was hurt.
Airlifted to Sunnybrook, Alex learned surgeons used bone from his hip and pelvis and metal brackets to stabilize his spine. The partial spinal cord injury meant he had varying paralysis from the neck down.
“It was the hardest time in my life,” says Alex, who remembers Sunnybrook staff as “caring and upbeat” in helping him move from the trauma ward into rehab.
“Little victories like moving around on my own and feeding myself helped me find my positivity,” says Alex. “Still, being able to speak about what happened took the longest.”
Alex found the words — and the teens of PARTY are better for it. A 10-year study shows PARTY participants are nearly a quarter less likely to have a traumatic injury.
He continues to draw strength from stories of resilience. “Reading about Canada’s participation in the World Wars puts things into perspective,” says Alex, who has also volunteered at Sunnybrook’s Veterans Centre. “I joke that the average age of my friends is around 95.”
“Listening to how our Veterans fought reminds me to dig deep and find the positive. It takes work, but I try to every day.”
That positivity led to a major milestone this past summer when Alex was able to ride his bike for the first time again, nearly 10 years to the date of his injury.
Alex’s friends came together to make adjustments and modifications to his 230-lb. motocross bike so it could run at a lower speed without stalling.
“Instead of worrying about the worst, I kept thinking: ‘What if it all goes perfectly?’” says Alex.
And it did.
In that moment, Alex couldn’t full grasp the reality of his achievement. “It’s hard to explain, but it was just everything. It was scary, but liberating. It started to feel familiar enough that I even toyed with the idea about doing a ‘wheelie,’” says Alex.
“It reminded me of who I am — and just how far I’ve come, too.”
