Meet Adaptive Athlete: Elisha Dillard

Born and raised in DeSoto, Texas, Elisha enjoyed sports as they allowed him time to hangout with friends while developing his natural athleticism. He loved playing football, basketball, baseball, and track and was nicknamed “Speedy”. He graduated from high school in 2014. 

 

On the evening of June 23rd, 2018, Elisha was involved in a bad car accident where he was ejected out the windshield. At the hospital it was determined that he fractured his C5 vertebrae and was paralyzed from the neck down. His recovery started out slow as he was mentally coming to terms with a new normal along with learning about living with a spinal cord injury.

 

Since his injury, Elisha has worked hard to gain strength back, spending hours daily in the gym. He wants to continue on his upward trajectory and not only give himself the best chance to walk, but also to continue gaining independence.

 

Elisha also wants to continue to grow mentally as he focuses on being grateful for every opportunity. He’s looking forward to growing in community with like-minded athletes and pushing himself to the max.