How Adaptive Sports Changed His Life with Spina Bifida | Carlos Murillo
Carlos Murillo was born with spina bifida and shared that he cannot feel from the waist down. Growing up, one of his greatest struggles was not simply the physical reality of living with a disability, but feeling different from the people around him. He recalled having few friends and often keeping to himself outside of school, spending time doing homework, listening to music, and using social media. When asked what he once believed about himself that he no longer believes today, his answer was "that there’s nothing out there for us.”
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That belief began to change in 2007. Murillo attended an adaptive sports Christmas event and tried wheelchair basketball, an experience that introduced him to an entirely new world. Once he discovered how much he enjoyed adaptive basketball, he began searching for other opportunities. His journey expanded into wheelchair football, sled hockey, tennis, rugby, softball and other adaptive activities. Wheelchair football became especially meaningful because it marked a shift becoming more than his diagnosis. The more he participated, the more he realized he was no longer simply someone trying to play a sport... he saw himself as an adaptive athlete.
Some of his most meaningful experiences have taken him far beyond traditional team sports. Paramotoring gave him the opportunity to leave everyday concerns behind and simply live in the moment. When asked what he felt free from while in the air, he described being “free of life” and simply enjoying the experience. Ziplining also became deeply significant. When asked which activity had made him feel most alive and where he had experienced his greatest sense of freedom, he gave the same answer both times: ziplining. These experiences highlight how adaptive sports has brought him something that cannot be measured on a scoreboard. It has given him moments of presence, independence, excitement, and freedom.
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