Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Hand cyclist on track for this week’s games
For the first time since he registered his motorcycle in California, Sean Gibbs was ready to get out on the road.
It was March 19, 1995, the four-year anniversary since he joined the Marines. The day was special, and so was the bike, a Suzuki GSX-R400 that he bought while stationed in Japan.
While stationed at Camp Pendleton near San Diego, Gibbs and some friends were going to ride up Palomar Mountain.
Gibbs was excited. He also was unprepared for what happened next.
“I was on so many meds and pain stuff and all that,’’ said Gibbs, who lives in Winter Garden. “I have memory after the 10-day mark, something like that. It was just foggy.
“‘Your life is different now. You need to do this.’ ’’
When Gibbs crashed, he broke ribs, punctured his lungs and injured his spinal cord, rendering him a paraplegic. He is one of about 650 men and women set to compete in the National Veterans Wheelchair Games in Central Florida, beginning Monday.
Gibbs, 46, participates in hand cycling — one of 19 sports that are part of the 38th games. They will conclude on Saturday.
“He purposely bought a house right across the street from the [West Orange] trail so he could get on his hand cycle,’’ said John DeMauro, president of the Central Florida chapter of the Paralyzed Veterans of America. “That’s someone who is pretty committed and dedicated, to determine the location of his home based on a trail.’’
Hand cycling will begin Tuesday morning at the Orlando VA Medical Center in Lake Nona. It’s a 10-kilometer course, much shorter than those Gibbs, the area PVA vice president, normally races.
From his unique vantage point, Gibbs has propelled his hand cycle through marathons and triathlons.
“The biggest challenge is the balance of always wanting to do better and wanting to do more and wanting to be faster, but the second you cross the finish line, being good with what the outcome was,’’ Gibbs said. “And then right away, going right back into training and try to improve on that.’’
That requires an abnormal amount of willpower.
Gibbs does not lack in that area.
“There’s points where he and I literally felt like we were not going to push another inch,’’ hand cyclist Scott Darrow said. “We just keep on going, and it’s a lot of motivation. It takes a lot of drive.’’
A stay-at-home father, Gibbs and his wife, Monique, have two children — Bella, 13, and Evan, 5. They have lived in Central Florida since 2010. Gibbs is originally from Ohio, graduated with a degree in business management from a college in Colorado and has owned a few businesses.
One was a dirt-oval speedway.
Equipped with a can-do attitude, Gibbs always enjoyed racing.
“We used to call him Sean the Bomb, because he was just so energetic and full of life,’’ said Bonnie Strother, Gibbs’ mother. “I always said I have five children, and if this were to happen to any of them, he would be the one of all of them to bounce back and be resilient and strong.’’
Those qualities never left Gibbs, even as he lay on a mountain road, his motorcycle nearby and his body badly broken.
Shortly before the accident occurred, Gibbs passed a woman who happened to be an emergencyroom nurse. She just had completed her shift when she came upon the wreck and called for a helicopter.
Gibbs credits her with saving his life.
“I wish to this day I knew who she was so I could thank her, but I never found out,’’ Gibbs said. “There was an article that was written about it, and I still have the police reports, but her name is not on any of the reports.’’
Gibbs never got to express how grateful he is in words.
Deeds are another matter.
With each revolution he takes on his hand cycle, he is showing his appreciation.