One of the Crim Festival’s most inspiring and moving races is the 10-Mile Wheelers event. Comprised of both wheelchair racing and handcycling, these races present an opportunity for those with physical challenges to compete at Crim.
The event is sponsored by Fusion Medical Supplies, whose owners, Nick Long and Brian Sheridan, know the challenges faced by those who can no longer walk. Both suffered spinal cord injuries, themselves, Nick from a diving accident and Brian while doing a back flip in gymnastics. Instead of succumbing to adversity, the two men created Fusion Medical Supplies to help others in a similar situation. “We were experts at using this equipment ourselves, so we thought, Why not make a business out of it?” Nick recalled.
Fusion Medical Supplies is committed to the rehabilitation of those with spinal cord injuries, and as part of their commitment, they will assist anyone interested in racing by lending the necessary equipment. Both Nick and Brian have competed in several Crim events and are looking forward to this year’s race. Nick competes in the handcycle division and Brian competes in the race chair division. “I love the Crim; it’s my favorite race,” says Nick, adding that he is not competitive and rides more for recreation. Brian, on the other hand, has raced at the national level. “Sports are a great way to rehabilitate,” says Brian. “It’s a great way to help someone realize their goals after a catastrophic injury.”
One such example is McKayla Hanson of Davison, who will be handcycling in the Wheelers event at this year’s Crim. She is a single-leg amputee and triathlete. At age seven, McKayla was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma. “I felt really smart being able to spell that when I was seven,” she now laughs. But her disease – a really rare bone cancer – was no laughing matter. McKayla underwent three surgeries to amputate her right leg, and afterward, she wanted to just sit around. But her mother wouldn’t let her. “You are going to get up and do something,” her mother told her. McKayla’s doctors told her she would never run or ride a bike, but she proved them wrong. With a prosthetic leg, she learned to ride a bike and to rollerblade. In high school, she became interested in swimming, and in college she pursued the adaptive sport of rock climbing. Later, she became really interested in triathlons and decided to give it a try. The swimming part was easy, but the other events were challenging. McKayla used crutches to run and rode a bike using her one good leg. This is when she began experiencing pain in her ‘good’ hip.
A friend told McKayla about handcycling, which she found to be much easier on her body. McKayla took to handcycling like a fish to water, meeting with great success at her first handcycling competition: the Crim. How much success? “I took first place in 2011 in the handcycling division!” she exclaimed. To date, she has taken first place in the Crim event three times. McKayla now uses a handcycle for the biking portion of her triathlons, and a race chair for the running segment. Despite her attempts to ease the strain on her body, the pain in McKayla’s good hip continued to worsen. Two years ago, she underwent replacement when doctors told her she had the hip of a 90-year-old. After intensive rehab and eight months riding around in a hot pink wheelchair, McKayla is back on track, racing, participating in triathlons and very much looking forward to the Crim. She’s also pursuing her Master’s Degree in Prosthetics and Orthopedics at Eastern Michigan University and recently qualified to compete in a triathlon at the national level. Now 27, McKayla is thankful her mother pushed her to go beyond what she thought she could do. “I didn’t know if I would ever learn to ride a bike, let alone become a triathlete!” she exclaimed. “Yes, life is good.”
PHOTOS COURTESY of BRIAN SHERIDAN and McKAYLA HANSON