“I made slow strides but every time I made some progress, howsoever little, I knew more would come. And that motivated me to work even harder.”
– Ryan Boyle, Champion Paralympic Cyclist and Author
A happy, fun-loving 9-year old was enjoying outdoors at a friend’s birthday party. While riding a big-wheel trike, tragedy struck. A pickup truck appeared out of nowhere and dragged the trike along with the kid some distance. The medics arrived and hardly believed the kid would survive his horrific injuries. The back of his head was crushed, receiving maximum impact. Not to mention a number of broken bones, dislocations, wounds, bruises, and what not. The kid slipped into a coma, suffering from Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), seemingly resigned to only one unfortunate outcome.
An emergency brain surgery was done wherein a part of his brain was removed because part of his crushed skull had pierced the cerebellum. In addition, a large part of the back of his skull had to be removed. It was beyond grim and a case of hoping against the hope.
15 years later, this kid—Ryan Boyle—is a Paralympic champion, an author, and an amazing source of inspiration.
Persevering Against All Odds
Ryan Boyle is a living proof that miracles do happen. Not only did he wake up from the coma a full two months later, but soon started a rigorous battle. He had to learn how to stand, sit, walk, eat, swallow, breathe, and everything else—all over again.
Every single day was a huge challenge, but Ryan was up for it. Even doctors did not have a definite advice or plan for Ryan’s recovery. When a neurologist saw Ryan for the first time, he said Ryan might be able to type one day but nothing much beyond. Ryan wanted to prove the neurologist so wrong. And he did.
Through patience, hard work, and lots of love and support, Ryan defeated the overwhelming odds. He left no stone unturned. He recounts how the physical aspect was just one part of the struggle. “In addition to the obvious physical challenges that I faced, the emotional and psychological challenges were seemingly my greatest obstacles.”
Becoming an Olympic Champion and an Author
Years of perseverance, tireless striving, and a steely resolve paved way for Ryan to win a silver medal at Rio 2016 Paralympic games. He was the youngest member of the USA Paralympic Road Cycling Team that won the silver.
Ryan has also written a book, When the Lights Go Out: A Boy Given a Second Chance. In the book, he shares the challenges he faced in his recovery process, the physical therapies that helped him recover, and how he dealt with the emotional and psychological aspect of it.
Ryan also greatly values his faith in God and the love of family, friends, and community in his unbelievable recovery.
Now, in between his Paralympic training schedule for the South Korea games (he resides at the Olympic Training Village in Colorado), going to school and finishing his second book, Ryan Boyle is devoted to helping others by sharing his story and offering advice to those experiencing hardships.
