Jason

IBOT Personal Mobility Device

Jason Doyle has been awarded an iBOT Personal Mobility Device thanks to the generous donations from American Mobility Project donors.   Jason is very grateful for the gift of the iBOT and often expresses his thanks. We look forward to seeing him have more opportunities with his new equipment.  This is his journey is his words. 

 My name is Jason Doyle and I am a resident of Mooresville, NC, and a T6 complete paraplegic. I grew up in Hendersonville, NC, close to Asheville. Life before my injury was quite simple while living the lake life on the water in Mooresville, and oblivious to the handicapped lifestyle. 

My malfunctioning legs story started on April 25, 2015. Two weeks before my wedding, I was at my bachelor party in the backyard of a Nashville Airbnb. After returning from eating lunch, we started playing cornhole in the backyard. One of the bags was thrown into the tree next to me, so I decided to climb up and grab it. After retrieving it, I jumped down, landing on my feet. I landed awkwardly with more weight on my right leg, breaking my tib/fib in multiple places. That motion shot me backward, landing on my back and breaking it at the T8 level. I don’t remember the following couple of days after the fall due to a significant concussion, but I have a core memory of sitting up, looking at my legs and not feeling them, and thought, “Yep, it’s over. I’m paralyzed”. 

But life wasn’t over, just different. After rehab, I got home and realized there were still many things to keep me active. I kept busy with mountain biking, indoor ski diving, adaptive racing, and working out. My biggest passion became water skiing. After randomly meeting some of the USA Adaptive Water Ski Team, I became an addict to watersports. We were doing tricks, slaloms, and jumping. In between multiple back surgeries, I practiced for a couple of summers and qualified to go to nationals in the fall. That was until I broke my back a second time. This time the break was at the T12 level. Unfortunately, that surgery created a spiral with another four surgeries. With those, I lost more levels of function and feeling. Since competitive water sports are no longer in my future, I enjoy spending time with family and anything with water.

I’m excited to get back to the outdoors with the IBOT Personal Mobility Device. Another hobby before my accident was hiking, and that is not something you can easily do in a manual wheelchair. Having access to more things in life, like reaching something on the second shelf or rolling through a hiking path, will be a significant advantage and sense of freedom with the iBOT PMD. I will enjoy something as small as being able to spot bald spots for the first time in 7 years, knowing I have one-up on them.