SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — The Paris Paralympic Games kick off August 28, and a few months ago KUTV featured a local amputee who was vying for a spot on the US Parafencing team.
After sweeping Gold in all three weapons at the National Fencing Championships in Salt Lake City, Utah’s Garrett Schoonover earned his spot on Team USA.
“I was crying,” he said when he received the news that he would be going to Paris with USA Parafencing. “It was not something I had at that point considered to be possible.”
Schoonover was involved in a life-altering motorcycle accident in 2017 that resulted in the amputation of his left leg.
“I would wake up and look down and it was so darn defeating,” he said. “You have to relearn how to interface with the world.”
Every small step was like climbing a mountain — from trying to shower, to relearning how to walk, until the former Army sergeant and body builder was able to find purpose in a completely new world: Parafencing, also known as wheelchair fencing.
His friend introduced him to the sport and said, “You were in the Army for years, you know how to fight, so put a stick in your hand, put a mask on your face and learn the finer points — pun intended.”
After winning competitions, he quickly realized that he had something special in this new sport.
“When it took off, it really was something I hadn’t planned on,” Schoonover said.
In fact, his unplanned journey has become a source of inspiration for other amputees.
When he is not fencing, he is a patient care coordinator at Hanger Clinic in Salt Lake City, where he mentors amputees along their journey.
“It blew my mind and expanded my mind to understand that there is a lot possible,” said his patient Mary Brickey.
She said that in response to watching Schoonover’s accomplishments as an amputee.
“The best part of my job is that we get to meet people in the middle of some of their darkest days and empower them to take back control of their lives,” Schoonover said.
This is a full circle moment for the US Parafencer, who has come to embrace life as an amputee with confidence and purpose.
“When I dream now, I am wearing a prosthetic. I no longer have dreams of having both limbs,” he said with a smile.
There is a GoFundMe for Schoonover’s journey to the Paralympics if you’re interested in donating.
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Publish date : 2024-08-21 20:42:00
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