GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. – A Delano father is back home recovering after completing a grueling 2,000-mile snowmobile race.
It’s a feat the father tackled as a fundraiser, so that another family could receive the life-changing care that helped his son.
“The ABLE (Activity-Based Locomotor Exercise) program at Courage Kenny has definitely had life-long impact for us,” said Steve Swenson about his family’s experience.
In July 2013, a dirt bike accident left Steve’s 16-year-old son, Mitchell, paralyzed from the chest down. But the family’s ability to begin Mitchell’s treatment at Courage Kenny shortly after he was released from the hospital, allowed him a new chance at life.
“Now I’m able to walk, feel more sensitivity – heat, coolness,” Mitchell said, adding, “I was able to graduate high school on time and walk – be able to walk to graduation.”
The Swensons believe without Mitchell’s Courage Kenny treatment he would not have reached those milestones. That’s why Steve Swenson embarked on his ambitious fundraiser.
“We’ve seen funding dwindle, and the insurance companies really pull back from assisting in these programs. So I personally thought it was important to figure out a way to get somebody exposure to that opportunity,” Steve said.
For seven days, Steve rode his snowmobile through the Alaska wilderness from Anchorage, to Nome, to Fairbanks. Steve and his teammate ended up finishing 14th out of 29 teams overall who started the race. And throughout his trek, Steve found inspiration in his son and others on Mitchell’s same journey.
“When I would be in that dark place – tired, suffering – I would think of the effort of the individuals here at ABLE that are putting up far more effort and probably in a far scarier place many times than I am at that time. So puts a little perspective on everything. Definitely made things easier and gave me motivation to keep going,” Steve said.
“I’m glad that they’re able to do something like this to kind of pay it forward for someone else to come for at least three months. So yeah, it’s pretty cool,” Mitchell agreed.
Several companies sponsored Steve’s race and effort, including Bame Foundation (Lube-Tech’s philanthropy sector), CP Diecasting and Polaris Racing. To donate to the Courage Kenny Scholarship, just click here: https://one.bidpal.net/team48/welcome