After 30 Years, He Helped His Paralyzed Dad Swim Again: ‘That Was Incredible!’
Adaptive beach program lets wheelchair-bound father enter ocean again for first time in decades
Key Takeaways
- Garrett Bell became a physical therapist after being inspired by his paralyzed dad, Stephen.
- Through a University of Miami adaptive program, Stephen swam in the ocean after 30 years.
- The emotional father-son duo hopes their viral beach story inspires other disabled families.
For 30 years, Garrett Bell’s dad, Stephen, watched the ocean from his wheelchair. But Garrett soon found a way to help him feel the water again! Here, he shares his story with Woman’s World.
When Garrett Bell was assigned an essay in 4th grade to write about his hero, the choice was simple: his dad.
Before he was born, his dad, Stephen, was paralyzed from the chest down. He worked diligently in physical therapy sessions and managed to take a few steps. But when the insurance ran out, he had to return to work.
He never misses my baseball games, Garrett wrote in that childhood essay. And every year, Dad takes us to the beach.
Stephen loved the ocean, but he could only sit in his wheelchair and watch his family in the surf. “Let me get you closer,” Garrett would say, pulling the chair through the sand so his dad could dangle his feet in the water.
As Garrett contemplated his career path in high school, he’d never forgotten his father’s encouraging words.
“You’re a healer,” Stephen would say each time Garrett rubbed his cramped feet.
Garrett loved sports, so physical therapy seemed a natural fit. He toured several campuses, but at the University of Miami, one of the admission counselors mentioned his application essay about being inspired by his father and his love of the beach.
“Have you heard about our adaptive beach days?” she asked. “We help people in wheelchairs and with other disabilities get into the water.”
Intrigued, Garrett went to see. He watched a therapist guide floating wheelchairs through the water, and he enrolled on the spot.
Stephen was proud of his son’s career choice, but puzzled a few months later when Garrett invited him to come for a visit. “We’re going to the beach, and you’re going for a swim,” he announced, and when Stephen asked how, Garrett said, “You’ll see.”
At the shoreline, Garrett and other therapists rolled sturdy mats all the way across the sand and into the surf. They transferred participants from their wheelchairs into beach-friendly ones with inflated tires and floating seats.
With Garrett’s help, for the first time in 30 years, Stephen was able to swim.
“That was incredible!” Stephen said, wiping away tears as his son helped him back into his chair.
Garrett is now a practicing physical therapist, and thanks to the university’s beach days and a son who refused to give up, Stephen has swum in the ocean several more times.
“My dad taught me how to be a man,” says Garrett.
“I couldn’t ask for a better son,” says Stephen. “He makes me proud every day.”
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