Casey Followay, the speediest 15 year old you'll ever meet!

This week we are joining with Invacare, the leading manufacturer of home and long-term care products, to spotlight the winners of their Real Life campaign. The campaign brings to light achievements of those with disabilities. A contest was held to spotlight those who live life to the fullest with their disability. 4 winners were selected and each received $3000 for themselves and $6000 for their charity of choice. Today’s real life hero is Casey Followay, a 15-year old wheelchair athlete.

Spina Bifida and paralysis of the legs do not stop 15 year-old Casey Followay. In fact, those two ailments motivate him to become a better athlete, physically and mentally. They motivate him to become a faster track athlete as well as participate in the same day-to-day activities as his able bodied peers. Casey is a courageous young man who has accomplished a lot, even at the young age of fifteen.Lisa Followay, Casey’s supportive and optimistic mother, was not in the least bit discouraged when she found out her precious son had Spina Bifida, a developmental congenital disorder caused by the incomplete closing of the embryonic neural tube. She was always by his side when he was in the hospital as a tiny newborn and thought to herself, “I am going to make sure he will have the same life as everyone else, he just may have to do things differently, and that is perfectly fine with me.”

As Casey got older, his mother enrolled him in sports, which he grew to love and cherish because he was able to be with his friends and participate in the same things as they were. What a blessing! Lisa was impacted by the statistic that people with disabilities are three times more likely to be inactive, and she did not want her son to be a part of this at all. She wants other people with disabilities to be inspired by Casey and learn that they can still be active. “You are not defined by your chair, but it is your mobility. Without the chair, you’d be very limited!” Lisa said, enthusiastically.

Track is one of the sports Casey participates in—he is actually the very first wheelchair athlete in Ohio to compete for his school’s track team. He has received several medals and is extremely speedy on the track. He also made history this past year by participating in the first wheelchair only track meet in the state of Ohio. Casey has set a three time national triathlon record in not only track, but hand cycling and archery. His six day a week workouts and extreme determination have been paying off! Like I said earlier, he has accomplished a lot in a short amount of time. It was an amazing feeling for Casey when he first got into a racing wheelchair. He had a sense of confidence and happiness and knew that wheelchair racing would be a significant part of his life forever!

Casey is a determined, strong and extremely athletic young man who has a bright future.

Casey has set high goals for himself for the future. He is focusing on improving his time before next June’s Paralympic qualifiers in the state of Indiana. If he works as hard as he can and maintains a positive attitude and strong determination, Casey would have the possibility of being one of the world’s youngest U.S.qualifiers ever.

About Invacare:
Invacare Corporation is the world’s leading manufacturer and distributor of innovative home and long-term care medical products, but the Company is more than just products — it is what those products allow people to do every day. The Invacare tag line is, “Yes, you can.^®” and that is more than just a saying; it’s a way of life. Invacare creates solutions that Make Life’s Experiences Possible™ for the people who use its products, from the student finishing their bachelor’s degree with an Invacare^® power wheelchair to top athletes using Invacare^® handcycles and chairs to compete at the highest level in events like the Boston Marathon, the Iron Man and the Paralympics.  

For more information, visit www.invacare.com/RealLife, www.invacare.com/homecare or www.youtube.com/InvacareCorp.

To learn more about Invacare Top End wheelchairs & racing equipment, visit www.topendwheelchair.com  or follow them on Facebook: www.facebook.com/topendwheelchair.

About the Author: Farah Bohannon of Winder, Georgia currently serves as UroMed’s Marketing Assistant. She graduated with a B.A. in Communication Studies from Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama in May 2010. She loves to utilize her writing and marketing skills with inspiring stories.