Like many people with newly acquired disabilities, Amanda Yan wasn't ready to play wheelchair basketball when she sustained a spinal cord injury in 2008. That didn't stop Joe Higgins. He gave her a BC Wheelchair Basketball jersey: one that laid in the bottom of her drawer for years. Every time she tried to give it back, he refused.
"You'll need it one day," he said.
Joe was right. In 2011, Amanda started playing wheelchair basketball at our City League thanks to the persistence of Joe and Marni. It changed her life.
"Sports saved me from becoming a negative person," she said. "I was in a bad place in my life and spiralling downwards."
This month, Amanda proudly wore another jersey -- a Team Canada jersey -- when she competed at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. BCWBS has been proud to be beside her for every milestone: from City League to the provincial team to Team Canada.
Maybe this story is similar to your own. Maybe you've seen wheelchair basketball change the life of a friend, family member or client. Maybe you remember that first time you tried wheelchair basketball. That first blister. That first team. That first medal.
I don't have to tell you that wheelchair basketball can change lives. Like Amanda, you know that story. But what you might be surprised to learn is how much recruiting athletes with a disability costs. BCWBS spends $7000 a year to run our beginners' programs, and that doesn't count the hundreds of volunteer hours put in by community champions around the province.
That's why we need your help. You know that recruiting an athlete to wheelchair sports is about so much more than booking a gym. It's about buying sports wheelchairs that fit a wide range of body types, and maintaining current ones. It's about supporting people like Joe and Marni to be there for those late-night phone calls and early-morning practices.
If you've benefitted from wheelchair basketball, please consider making a donation to support the next generation. We all start somewhere. Make your tax-deductible donation to help someone get their start today.
