IndyCar

“I’m never going to give up. Racing is my life.”

These are words that I have heard from many kids (even from ‘kids’ in their twenties) at the local kart track, but I recently had the chance to speak to a young man who really means them–and continues to prove it every day by chasing his dream, despite the difficult hand he was dealt at a young age.

Michael Johnson had a shining career as a young motorcycle racer, securing an amazing fourteen National Championships by the age of 12. On August 13 2005, 12-year-old Michael took part in a dirt track race at Hiawatha Horse Park in Sarnia, Ontario.  After making a move on the final lap to take the lead, having run out of tear-offs and trying to clear his visor, he hit a rut and lost control of his 250cc bike. Flying through a fence, he flipped over the handlebars, resulting in a broken collarbone, ribs, left leg, and ankle. He also fractured vertebrae in his back, meaning he is now paralyzed from the mid-chest down. He underwent 11 hours of surgery and still has four rods and 15 screws in his back! Michael spent nearly a year having treatments, including skin grafts, for the pressure sores he had, before doctors would consider letting him go back to doing anything physical.

This is the amazing story of how he not only recovered from his serious injuries but also learned to race again.

Click here to read Michael’s inspirational story.

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