GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- In a small workshop at the corner of Leonard Street and Valley, Tom Hernon is working hard to make a difference for the sports-minded people who may not otherwise get the opportunity.
Hernon, 52, makes customized adaptive wheelchairs that for a variety of people, one notable one made specifically for a boy in Africa who lost his leg to a landmine and had to travel five miles everyday. Others, for those who love to ski, or walk their dog.
Each wheelchair Hernon makes tells a story, including his own; he was involved in a bike accident 18 years ago that changed his life forever.
"The throttle stuck on me and I bailed off the bike [and] broke my back," Hernon said.
He also broke both legs, his shoulder and five ribs, but that didn't stop Hernon from living.
"Life doesn't end because you have spinal cord injury, you can do more, you can get out there and accomplish all kinds of things."
And that's exactly what he did. He moved to Park City, Utah to pursue adaptive skiing with his son. He even competed in the Paralympics.
Hernon with service dog Thor
Now, he's working to help others do what he did.
"Our goal is to actually build a wheelchair that can change into different sports equipment and have it mass produced," said Hernon. "It’s something that's going to help so many people."
He's a man with an injury, dedicating his life to help others.
Over the past 10 years, Tom Hernon made over 75 multi-functional wheelchairs with the help of his son.
"The chair actually I’m sitting in... changes into a basketball wheelchair, tennis wheelchair, sit ski, [and a] hand crank bicycle," Hernon said."If I get up in the morning and there's two feet of snow and I need to go somewhere I can pop skis on my wheelchair, push out to my van, get into the van, take the wheelchair part, leave the skis and drive wherever I want to go."
He's hoping to help other people get 'back to sports' and 'back to life'.
Hernon and his son want to get these wheelchairs on the market soon. He says they'll retail around $300.
He needs to get 20 made in order to get them FDA approved. Once he gets the funding, he can take it from there.
If you would like to try out one of Hernon's wheelchairs, you can contact him on his business page 'Get Back to Sports' on Facebook or by phone at 616-666-4796.
