DHR Health creating wheelchair basketball league
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For the last 11 months, Jose Tirado has been getting used to a new way of life after suffering an accident that left him wheelchair-bound.
“I'm just happy to be alive,” Tirado said.
Tirado has put in the work for months at DHR Health's rehab clinic.
When he heard of the new wheelchair basketball league, Tirado knew he wanted to join.
"It’s actually been a blessing, being able to do the things I want to do,” Tirado said.
The wheelchair basketball league has been in the works since before the pandemic. DHR Health Neuro-Therapy Institute Director Dr. Michael Auer says he believes this could have a lasting impact on his patients.
“We do a good job here at DHR, they get independent and functional — but what do they do when therapy ends? This is something they can continue and get excited about,” Auer said. “The main requirement is to be able to safely propel a wheelchair independently.”
Funding for the program is being made possible through donations and grants. It will be the first of its kind in the Rio Grande Valley.
Tirado says he’s ready to hit the court.
Interested male or females who are amputees or with a spinal cord injury or spina bifida— who are 16 years old and older — and can propel a wheelchair safely and independently can call the DHR Health Neuro-Therapy Institute at 956-362-6636.
Watch the video above for the full story.
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