Meet Shea Foster, the Paralympian who survived a horror car crash and was told he might never walk again...
but is now a Netflix star eyeing 1500m glory in Paris READ MORE: Meet Team USA's Paralympic stars as they compete in Paris READ MORE: Great Britain's Sammi Kinghorn targets more Paralympic medals READ MORE: Paralympics Prize Money: What medalists will receive in Paris By Jake Fenner Published: 00:34 BST, 27 August 2024 | Updated: 00:34 BST, 27 August 2024 e-mail View comments The inspiring story of Shea Foster will be on full display when the American runner takes part in the 2024 Paris Paralympics - which begin this week. Foster, aged 27, will be taking part in the T-38 men's 1500-meter race - a group for athletes whose movement and coordination are affected at a low degree in their legs. But at one point, it wasn't even clear if Foster would be able to even walk again.
Back in June of 2021, Foster was about to report to Oklahoma State University - where he was set to join their cross country team as a graduate transfer after stints at Lamar University and Southeast Louisiana University. But tragedy struck when Foster, who was driving his 2012 white Jeep in Louisiana, was hit by a tractor-trailer that had lost control. Shea Foster's road to the Paralympics involves a tale of redemption after an awful car crash Foster was in a coma and temporarily paralyzed after an out-of-control truck hit his Jeep Read More Meet Team USA's Paralympic stars: Hunter Woodhall hopes to replicate his wife's success, while Afghanistan refugee Abbas Karimi, army veteran Bobby Body and former US soccer star Nick Mayhugh look to win gold in Paris Foster was in a coma for 48 hours and was temporarily paralyzed from the waist down for two weeks.
The crash resulted in a fractured spine that required 50 staples on both sides of his body after a 360-degree spinal fusion surgery. To keep his spine together, doctors inserted screws and rods in his back. Additionally, Foster needed surgery on his knee.
With the totality of his injuries, doctors told him that it would be a 'miracle' if he could ever walk again, let alone run. Once he was released from the hospital, Foster needed members of his family - his grandmother and aunt in particular - to do nearly everything for him. 'I would describe the pain as, it's demoralizing,' Foster told the New York Post .
'It's taking away your gift, or at least the gift that you think you had, that the population or other runners or other people that made you different or made you special. 'It really made me realize that my identity is not in running, but it's in controlling what you can control. But it was very demoralizing.
' Foster required staples and rods inserted in his back in order to stabilize his spine Read More Paris 2024 Paralympics prize money: How much will Great Britain and other Paralympians receive for winning a medal in the French capital 'Everybody thinks the first thing is, 'Oh, you just won't be able to run again,' but mentally it really gets to you and it affects the silliest of things,' he continued. 'The way you react to people, the way you type an email, the way you go to the grocery store, what music you listen to – it changes the whole dynamic.' But Foster, who isn't a stranger to adversity, decided that he wished to beat his doctor's predictions.
That crash wasn't the first that he dealt with - having previously injured his knees while at SLU. Additionally, when he was in fifth grade, Foster's adopted father committed suicide. 'Adversity is something that gives you the opportunity to overcome it,' Foster told The Post.
He added, 'It was always, 'that's not possible, you can't do that.' I had to do everything by myself and learn by experience at a very young age. 'I think my sisters always looked up to me to figure things out as well.
It wasn't perfect by any means, but I think always showing up every day and being there for them just in that moment really translated to athletically, academically and it created a monster of never giving up. 'It started showing me that you can become who you want to become and you can create the path. I know I don't have extra resources or anything.
And it just started making me realize, if you want something, go get it. It's just been a constant trend of adversity after adversity.' Doctors said that Foster might not be able to walk again - let alone run competitively Just a few weeks after his surgery, Foster built up the strength to walk a mile.
Two months after going under the knife, he was able to run long distances. Eventually, doctors cleared him after an MRI showed his spine was intact and that his bones had fused together. By that November, he was running for Oklahoma State - earning All-American honors in the process.
He challenged the lack of data on 24-year-old athletes' recoveries from spinal fusions and stressed that he could return to running. 'It changed my perspective on life to a different degree,' Foster said. 'If someone starts complaining, they'll be like 'Oh my gosh, I just spilled on myself,' and I'll be like 'Imagine if you had no food.
' It's crazy, but I do this a lot now with everything. 'Oh my phone is dead.' 'Oh, I'll go get you a charger, that's great, we can charge it up.
Imagine if you didn't have a phone.' But within weeks after his surgery, Foster was able to walk a mile - then progressing to running Eventually, Foster returned to running competitively - eventually making it to the Paralympics View this post on Instagram A post shared by Shea Foster (@shea_foster) Read More EXCLUSIVE My parents protected me from the storm over Oscar Pistorius: When the Paralympics icon was jailed, attention turned to the child who raced him four years earlier..
. now ELLIE CHALLIS is writing her own story in Paris However, it had become clear that he wouldn't be able to qualify for the Olympics. When the Paralympics reached out to him, he initially didn't have much interest.
'Basically, I couldn't swallow my pride and my ego,' Foster said. 'I think what really lit a fire under my butt was my younger sister has spina bifida and she's in a wheelchair, she's in eighth grade, going to be a freshman in high school this coming fall. 'She wears a diaper, she has a shunt on her head.
Right when I got done with surgery, the first thing she said to me was 'we have matching scars now. We're the same.' 'She was like 'I can't play any sports, I can't do anything,' and I was like 'Yes you can.
' It's hard to say it from a distance but I think she really made me realize that I need to swallow my pride because this is not just about me and accomplishing goals that I want, but also giving that little ounce of thought or inspiration or hope for other people that may have not recovered the same way.' Now, Foster is in Paris - representing his country in a different way than he may have expected. Foster is also famous for his appearance in a Netflix reality show 'Surviving Paradise' But running in the Olympics isn't the only way that he has become known.
Foster recently starred in a Netflix reality television show - 'Surviving Paradise', where contestants try to go from the wilderness to a luxury villa for a $100,000 prize. The show spent some time in the streaming platform's top-ten in the United States earlier this year and Foster has begun getting recognized in public. 'It was always something I wanted to do, but it was never the right time,' Foster said.
'It was just so random, but the timing was so perfect – it was in the summer, it was my last year of school, there weren't a bunch of roadblocks, it just made sense. I didn't really know what I was getting myself into and I didn't know if I was gonna like it or not like it, but I did ask myself 'Shea, if you don't do this, will you regret it?' And the answer was yes. I'm glad I went.
It was an incredible experience.' Netflix Share or comment on this article: Meet Shea Foster, the Paralympian who survived a horror car crash and was told he might never walk again..
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