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It’s that time of year! Thanksgiving, families gathering, and lots of eating!
It also starts the season of reflection and celebrating all for which we are thankful. I am grateful for my family, my co-workers, and the many friendships I have developed though KECO over the last 40 plus years.
One such friendship is with Sam Schmidt. A former Indy Racing League driver, Sam is current team owner in the NTT IndyCar Series and co-owner of the Arrow McLaren IndyCar team. Sam’s brief IndyCar career included a win in 1999, but an accident before the 2000 season resulted in him becoming a quadriplegic.
Sam and I met in 1997 at the beginning of his racing career. We started coating parts for his cars and to date KECO Coatings has been a partner in sponsorship with Sam and his racing team for a continuous 27 years.
Through a partnership with ARROW Electronics, Sam continues to drive cars at over 200 mph. Most importantly, in 2021, he was able to dance with his daughter Savannah at her wedding, assisted by cutting edge technology which now and in the future, can empower everyone in achieving their dreams.
Sam’s most recent venture is Driven NeuroRecovery Center, 1300 E. 96th St. in Indianapolis. It is a 114,000 square foot state of the art rehabilitation center devoted to wellness and rehab of those with paralysis and other neurological conditions. This is his second center, with the first in Las Vegas.
We are dedicating this issue to our long-time friend Sam Schmidt and his vision Driven and Conquer Paralysis Now. If you know someone who could benefit from these services, read more, and use the contact info below to reach out to Driven.
Turbocharging Paralysis Therapy and a Cure
How Indy Legend and Team Owner Sam Schmidt is Putting Quadriplegia on Notice
Nearly 25 years ago at the Walt Disney World Speedway, Sam was practicing for the IRL Season Opener in January of 2000, when he spun and hit the retaining wall at over 200 mph. Sam sustained a spinal cord injury at the C3 and C4 vertebrae paralyzing him from the neck down and putting him on a ventilator. In the beginning he learned all the negatives, being on a ventilator, the reasons to be down, the difficulties of rehabilitation, however he was also grateful and acknowledged that he was in fact very lucky to have a family and a racing community that stood by him.
Sam was surrounded by his family, he had his new iteration of a racing career, and the finest rehabilitation and therapy that he was able to afford, but he keenly understood that others with neurological and spinal cord injuries were suffering. The heaviness and the pain of an accident saps resources — insurance only lasts so long, and therapy needs to be ongoing. A quote from Sam in a recent article, “This will be my purpose in life as long as I’m on earth.” Sam knew that insurance companies typically cover five weeks of rehab, which is the time when patients just start to feel like the therapy might be starting to work. There is much to do.
With the utmost determination, Sam remained in racing as an owner and champion in the NTT IndyCar Series and co-owner of Arrow McLaren. All the while searching out the best options in rehab for spinal cord injuries. In 2000 he founded Conquer Paralysis Now to find a cure for paralysis and help give independence to individuals living with neurological conditions. In 2018, the foundation opened the DRIVEN NeuroRecovery Center in Las Vegas which provides what Sam calls “hardcore rehabilitation and support in a controlled environment.”
Facts about Driven NeuroRecovery Center
– One-of-a-kind 114,000+ square foot facility open to anyone with spinal cord injuries or neurological conditions.
– Rehabilitation Services provided by NeuroHope a nonprofit, outpatient therapy clinic and wellness center for people living with and recovering from neurologic conditions. – spinal cord injury, brain injury, or stroke, a long rehabilitative journey begins. Insurance covered therapy expires quickly, but the need for help continues as recovery evolves.
– Aquatics Therapy equipment designed to give a personalized experience for every member.
– Two 30,000 square foot Adaptive Sports complexes to give opportunities for members to get back to the sports they love.
– An entire floor dedicated to co-working space to create effective partnerships with the research community to find and fund breakthrough medical studies.
Sam says. “It’s about helping others achieve their goals like I have been able to achieve mine. When insurance runs out, you are not prepared physically or mentally, you don’t have any money, what do you do? We don’t turn anybody away. There’s got to be some level of hope, direction, and inspiration.”
Indianapolis
https://www.conquerparalysisnow.org/about-2
Las Vegas
https://www.drivenlv.org/
