In 1997 I hit the ground while skydiving and have been in (and out) of a wheelchair since. I think it would be safe to say that it does not stop me from living life. “My desire is to empower people. I want others to realize that it doesn’t take a seemingly tragic episode to positively impact your life. My hope is that I can demonstrate how this is possible.” Many who have experienced serious accidents often speak of their lives as if it occurred in two parts, the before and after. As a personal trainer, marathon runner and skydiver, Jeremy Newman describes his “previous life” as one he lived with reckless abandon, his first love always being the thrill of a challenge. Unfortunately, no challenge would prove greater than on May 24, 1997, when a devastating skydiving accident left him paralyzed from the waist down. This is the story of a man who, by his own admission, brought himself to the brink of death, and returned with the gift of inspiration to all those who surround him. An avid skydiver, Jeremy was well trained, experienced and fiercely competitive. On that fated day in May, he admits that in an attempt to race his fellow skydiver to the ground he purposely closed his end cells, ultimately collapsing his entire canopy and plummeting himself to the ground at 1200 feet. With multiple life-threatening injuries, Jeremy slipped in and out of a drug-induced coma for one month. As doctor’s made grim predictions that he would never breath on his own, speak, or walk again, Jeremy’s friends and family prepared for what seemed like the inevitable. Into his second month of hospitalization, Jeremy experienced a spiritual and emotional epiphany that he attributes to his mother, Lynn, who visited him everyday. He unbelievably began to regain his mental and physical abilities and doctors described his recuperation as nothing short of miraculous. He was released in 2 1/2 months and returned to his clientèle the very next day. Jeremy has never looked back. “I’ve learned to appreciate all that I have, and all the things I used to take for granted, like taking a breath on my own. Every morning when I wake, I say thank you.” Jeremy’s injuries did not prevent him from returning to competitive sports. With borrowed racing equipment, Jeremy began competing as a WHEELCHAIR ATHLETE in the 1998 Los Angeles Marathon. Jeremy has since competed in nearly three-dozen triathlons, a dozen marathons and countless biathlons, duathlons, 5K and 10K races. In Colorado, Jeremy relearned downhill skiing as a disabled skier in the Hartford Ski Spectacular. June 7, 1999 marked the successful completion of his participation in the 56-day, 3600 mile Transcontinental Triathlon from Santa Barbara to NYC. In 1998, Jeremy also became an avid triathlete, and is the only wheelchair triathlete in California to date. In fact, he was selected as one of only two wheelchair athletes to represent the United States in the 2002 World Triathlon Championships in Cancun, Mexico. Since that time he has participated in several hundred races in 18 different countries and been to 8 world triathlon championships. He is currently training for the US Cycling Team and will be visiting the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs in September 2010.

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