Hancock resident Daniel Henderson is hard at work at physical therapy and recently acquired an adaptive bicycle and a retrofitted vehicle to drive, nine months after sustaining a serious spinal injury in a ski crash.
The accident last December paralyzed Henderson from the chest down, and he spent several months in rehabilitation before returning home. He said he’s grateful for the support he’s received from friends and strangers alike. “A group of my neighbors put a welcome banner across School Street when I got home, people cooked dinners for us for a month, cleared our driveway,” during the winter, he said, and he didn’t even know some of the contributors to a GoFundMe campaign a friend organized on his behalf. The fundraiser wrapped up last week after putting $34,205 toward adaptive equipment to help him get around. “Knowing that people are supportive really helps,” he said.
After rehabilitation, Henderson spent the rest of the winter focusing on learning how to take care of himself. “It’s my full time job,” he said. He described the new two-step process for any formerly simple task: figuring out a new way to do it, and then actually doing it. He said he’s learning to take special care in instances where he’d usually rely on his senses, like keeping an appropriate distance from campfires or protecting his feet from rocks in the lake. The pandemic put shopping and social visits on hold, but Henderson is already eyeing the front steps of private homes and commercial establishments. “One of the challenges is going to be getting into people’s houses once we start doing that again someday,” he said. “All these things I never thought about until I had to.”
Henderson now goes to Project Walk in Exeter twice a week, where he works on his balance while standing between parallel bars. He may be able to walk again someday, he said. “I try to use what I’ve got, and reclaim what I’ve lost,” he said.
To that extent, it was important to Henderson to get back on a bicycle. He used to log long rides on gravel roads, even completing the grueling 60-mile Tour de Heifer in Vermont last year. The adaptive BerkelBiketricycle he purchased with GoFundMe donations was particularly appealing because of a mechanism that pedals his legs while his hands turn the crank, located where you’d expect handlebars to be. His legs would just stay at rest with any other adaptive bike, Henderson said, and this way he can try to retain some muscle while getting cardiovascular exercise. The low-slung cycle sports a brightly colored flag Henderson’s children gave to him to improve his visibility on the road.
Henderson said he’s watched his strength improve as he pedals up and down Main Street, and recently made it up the hill to the Hancock Depot. On Wednesday, he got an electrical assist installed, and hopes the boost will allow him to take longer rides involving steeper hills. “I’m so thrilled to have this,” he said.
Henderson also recently returned to driving after trying out different adaptive setups. He hoped to keep his Passat at first, dissembling his wheelchair and putting it in the back whenever he went for a ride. “I did that twice,” he said, before deciding to swap for a minivan. Henderson’s new van has a button that sends the front seat out the driver’s door and down to his wheelchair’s level so he can get in, and another lift that draws his wheelchair up into the back seat. “It’s not as easy as what getting in the car used to be,” he said, but that he prefers the setup to ramps, which are difficult to navigate even in “kneeling” vehicles. He took driving lessons in Salem to learn to operate the hand-controlled brake and accelerator. A chest strap keeps Henderson upright behind the wheel while making turns, and there’s a hard cover over the foot pedals to keep his feet from getting underneath by accident.
Last week, Henderson took his first solo drive in the setup: a milestone trip to Concord for lunch at a restaurant and back. “I was beat,” he said.
Henderson also managed to return to croqui in time for this summer’s tournament with a new strategy for swinging a mallet from a wheelchair. “I’ve got a pretty strong shot and can hit it pretty well,” he said. “What I can’t do yet is a jump shot… I really miss that. That’s a lot of fun and really gratifying,” he said. He said he’s already thinking about how to get outside during the winter, and recently contacted Northeast Passage, a program out of the University of New Hampshire that advises and rents adaptive equipment for winter sports.
Henderson was the director of corporate partnerships and strategic initiatives at Keene State College at the time of the accident. He has since left the position but continues to be involved at the college while continuing to serve on several boards. Henderson may eventually return to work in some capacity eventually, but for now he’s seeing where his new wheels take him.