Sherrod Nelson said adaptive sports mean everything to him.
He was paralyzed after a fall and is now a wheelchair user. It hasn’t stopped him from moving on with his life. When he was rehabbing from the injury, he discovered the adaptive sports program.
“I went through a bout with depression after I was paralyzed at 39 years old,” said the 54-year-old Fort Lauderdale resident, who is an incomplete paraplegic. He has use of his legs. “I was in a dark place and contemplated suicide. Once I started adaptive sports, it changed my life.”
He manages and coaches the Fort Lauderdale Sharks, an adaptive basketball team that has won two straight national championships.
“It gives people the opportunity to compete with people who have disabilities from all over the United States and show them they are the best,” said Nelson, whose team has won both a Division 3 title and a Division 2 championship.
Nelson and other adaptive sports athletes took part in the Memorial Healthcare System’s Foundation and Rehabilitation Institute’s sixth annual Adaptive Bowl-A-Thon at SpareZ Bowling in Davie.
“Adaptive sports has meant everything to me,” he said. “Most people who become paralyzed or have a significant or debilitating injury usually go through a process of depression. With a spinal cord injury, it is more suicidal. After 18 months, they start to contemplate suicide.
“Sports got me through it,” Nelson said. “With Memorial, we have a program where we go in and we talk to the patients. I don’t talk to them about sports, I just tell them what I have done, what I have been through, and I have empathy for them. I let them know that there are other people like them out there and we are living successful lives. They will come out and see the program. They may not want to play basketball, but there are a lot of other sports out there that they can do. That helps them get through their depression. For me, it’s great. It is a way of me giving back.”
The Adaptive Bowl-A-Thon was an opportunity for those with physical challenges to bowl alongside therapists, family and friends that have been part of their rehabilitation journey. The fundraiser attracted over 300 participants in a fun-filled tournament that included trophies and recognition.
Memorial Healthcare System CEO Doug Zaren oversees the acute care and acute rehab, the skilled nursing facility in addition to the Adaptive Sports Program.
“This is probably one of the most incredible events that brings people together, especially the adaptive athletes that have had injuries,” he said. “This is a way they reconnect and bring them back to the extraordinary levels that they had been, and they bring their energies together.
“We really love these guys,” Zaren said. “They have a national championship basketball team led by Sherrod Nelson and he has a group of spirited athletes. They play hard and this is just another example of getting the esprit de corps and bringing all the nurses, physicians and other support people from the hospitals. It is a great event.”
A total of $20,000 was raised from the 317 registered participants and sponsorships.
The money was raised by the nonprofit Memorial Foundation for use with the Adaptive Sports and Recreation Program at the Memorial Rehabilitation Institute at Memorial Regional Hospital South.
All the money raised helps fund sports and recreation equipment and opportunities that enable South Floridians with disabilities to participate. In past years, proceeds from the event have assisted with access, transportation, entry fees, and sponsorships for adaptive athletes participating in water aerobics, chair yoga, scuba, wheelchair basketball and tennis.
The Memorial Rehab Adaptive Sports and Recreation program provides recreational and athletic experiences to those with physical disabilities. Through hard work and determination participants learn that it’s possible to partake in physical activities, exceed expectations and achieve dreams.
Ray Shipman, director of Business Development & Physician Relations at Memorial Healthcare System, said the program has its merits. He oversees the adaptive sports program.
“Our goal at Memorial Rehab is to make these activities accessible to individuals living with disabilities,” he said.
Call 954-265-3454 or visit mhsfoundation.org.
