An adaptive sports group gets disabled Utahns on the trails

SALT LAKE CITY — When it comes to physical paralysis, being immobile is just the tip of the iceberg. Many who suddenly can’t, or struggle, to walk leave behind their independence, hobbies, and lifestyle.

Paralysis can hit active people the hardest; however, groups like Wasatch Adaptive prove the outdoors is open to everyone.

The rest of his life began as just another ride

Coedy Hadden’s medical schooling had taken him to Brisbane, Australia. With medical school being what it is, every weekend Hadden would bike the trails around the city.

“I had heard about this new road on the other side of Mount Coot-Tha, and I thought ‘oh, I’ll give that one a try,’ because it sounded like it was pretty decent.”

Hadden has no memory of the ride; while taking a turn, he biked off a cliff and fell nearly 100 feet.

Getting back up after months of therapy with Wasatch Adaptive Sports

The fall shattered bones throughout his torso, left him completely blind in his left eye, fogged his memory for 82 days, and landed him in several months of therapy.

Rehab eventually brought Hadden to Murray, Utah. Despite the cause of his accident, Hadden yearned to get back on a bike.

“I loved biking so much that I wanted to get out there and do it some more!” But Hadden’s balance was completely shot. And there was no way he could afford an accessible bike. Then one day, his speech therapist introduced him to Wasatch Adaptive Sports.

  

 

Wasatch Adaptive Sports, WAS, as it’s known, hosts seasonal outdoor events for disabled Utahns. During summer, the group brings accessible tricycles to Utah’s parks and trails. Hadden’s first day with WAS was full of trial and error, but in no time he was on the trail. Several grants later, Hadden purchased his own tricycle. None of this would’ve happened without Wasatch Adaptive.

“They make it possible to have fun,” Hadden’s mother, Martha, said, “and that becomes more important when you have a disability. You can get out to enjoy life!”