Man who was paralyzed at 17 is inspiring the world by completing a marathon: 'My freedom'

Life-changing incidents are difficult to overcome. However, sometimes, people might overcome it and become stronger than ever before. A similar thing happened with then-17-year-old Mason Branstrator–who goes by @mason_branstor on Instagram–who was paralyzed from the waist down after an accident. Now, three years later, he has finished a marathon. Before his accident, he lived an active and free life. He loved the outdoors and had many athletic pursuits. He shared the story of the accident in a three-part series on the platform.

In the first part, he shared how he had gone out to ski on January 18, 2021. "It was no ordinary day. In fact, it was Martin Luther King Day," the now-20-year-old narrated. "I decided to go downhill skiing. I spotted my favorite jump," he continued. "As I positioned myself to hit, I thought to myself, I am going a bit fast." That is the last thing Branstrator remembers thinking before everything went black. The man woke up in the ICU with no clue how he ended up there. He landed on his neck and shoulders and his skis toppled over him. The impact of the fall shattered his T12 vertebrae, a part of the spine responsible for waist-down movement.

"The doctors told me, 'Mason, you may not be able to walk again.'" It was harrowing for the teenager, who was still in shock from everything that had unfolded in just a day, he shared in the second part of the story. After that, he spent months in a rehabilitation center trying to recover and make progress. However, there was always this doubt in him that he would never be able to walk again because of what the doctors said. He spent four months at the rehab at Craig and got a lot of his strength back, per CBS News. 

"The first time I got in a wheelchair in rehab, I felt so free. In this really hard situation, you're given freedom and independence. And I've always been so grateful for my wheelchair. And people look at the wheelchair and say, 'That sucks. It's awful to be limited to using a wheelchair.' But this wheelchair doesn't limit me. It's actually my freedom," Branstrator shared. A year later, he graduated and joined the University of Denver. He also realized that walking was not the most sustainable thing to pursue in life, something he also mentioned in the final part of his three-part story.

"I decided to see what else life had to offer," the athlete expressed. "In the past two years, life blossomed in a way I could have never imagined," he stated. He did an Olympic triathlon, surfing, fishing, cross-country skiing and more to live life in a way he has always loved. "I realized that recovery is not just walking. It's finding new ways to do the things you love," the man pointed out. In an Instagram post, Branstrator shared how he had finally competed in a marathon. "I am officially a Grandma's Marathon finisher! 26.2 miles in 2:03:52 minutes," he wrote. The annual race has been held in Duluth, Minnesota, for the past 50 years, per the outlet.

Also, he shared the full vlog of the marathon on Instagram and people took to the comments to share how he inspired them. @lorihof62 wrote, "You are such an amazing inspiration to the world! We met you at Red Rocks for the Michael Franti concert and our grandson Griffen thought you were an awesome human being! Stay strong and keep on bringing it!" @sharonmacdermott89 commented, "So many tears of JOY for you, Mason! You are a fighting machine with so much determination and so much spirit and spunk. You are an inspiration to ALL." @mlifro remarked, "Wow, that's so inspiring! You are so cool. I'm speechless! Congrats!"

You can follow Mason Branstrator (@mason_branstrator) on Instagram for more uplifting content.