HIGH FIVES ATHLETE RECEIVES EMPOWERMENT GRANT | Nate White

Meet #HighFivesAthlete Nate White from Carbondale, CO

In January 2018, the High Fives Foundation disbursed $30,678.00 in grant funding to 10 Athletes across the country.

Nate has worked tirelessly, in between maintaining his teaching job at Colorado Rocky Mountain School in Carbondale, CO, at local therapy centers in his area so that he can get back on the water kayaking, back on the trails mountain biking, and back on snow skiing. High Fives has provided Nate with those valuable therapies.

On June, 25 2016, Nate was kayaking on Daisy Creek outside of Crested Butte, Colorado, a run that he was pretty familiar with. The water was a bit lower than optimal and Nate was pushed off line a bit and hit a rock in the landing zone, suffering a burst fracture of L2, leaving his paralyzed.

After extraction, Nate was sent to Swedish Medical Center in Denver where he had two major surgeries, including a fusion from T12-L4. Nate spent 8 weeks rehabbing at Englewood, Colorado’s Craig Hospital.

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My High Fives Grant has made it so I can be a much more active member of my community. The therapy that my grant has afforded me has allowed me to get back to teaching full time and I am even starting to coach kayaking again. As a mountain athlete, it has helped me to get back to doing what I love. I had a great kayaking season last year, thanks to the mobility and strength that I regained from my high fives therapies. This winter I have been able to get back on skis and am touring almost every weekend. I am even starting to ride a bike again and will hopefully be mountain biking this summer. On a teacher's salary, there is no way I would have been able to afford the therapies that High Fives has helped fund. I am forever grateful!

Nate

Nate is currently walking with assistance and has even been ski touring. He is well on his way to achieving each goal he has set.

The High Fives Foundation supports injured outdoor sports athletes through grant funding to be used towards reaching their recovery goals. Since the Foundation’s January 2009 inception, the Empowerment program service has assisted 188 athletes from 32 states in nine respective funding categories which include: living expenses, insurance, travel, health, healing network, adaptive equipment, winter equipment, programs and “stoke” (positive energy, outlook and attitude).

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