Wheelchair Freestyler Aaron "Wheelz" Fotheringham Didn't Let Spina Bifida Stop Him
The 24-year-old helped design an extreme sports-friendly wheelchair.
Red Bull’s latest extreme sports video campaign focuses on Aaron “Wheelz” Fotheringham, a wheelchair motocross athlete born with spina bifida. The condition has left Wheelz with no use of his lower half, but that has done nothing to stop the 24-year-old from pushing the limits of physics and his body; Wheelz has been a wheelchair freestyler since the age of 8 and his brother egged him on to drop in on a local skate-park’s quarterpipe. The young Fotheringham tried it and fell, hard; he makes sure to remind viewers that his condition hasn’t rid him of feeling in his legs, so the empathy pains you feel when watching him wreck are well-placed. Fotheringham has come together with the good people over at Box Wheelchairs to design a chair catered towards Wheelz’s hobbies.
If Wheelz’s story inspires you, make sure to sign up for Red Bull’s Wings For Life World Run on May 8. The event encompasses 36 races worldwide, plus a Wings For Life World Run Selfie app for those who can’t make it to one of the race’s locations. All proceeds go toward spinal cord injury support and research.
