¦ June 19, 2006
Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation Holds Day at the Races in Indy

INDIANAPOLIS REHABILITATION HOSPITAL PATIENTS AND LOCAL SPINAL CORD INJURY ASSOCIATIONS VISIT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY AND ATTEND SAM SCHMIDT PARALYSIS FOUNDATION’S ‘DAY AT RACES’ PROGRAM

The Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation, Sunrise Medical and Andretti-Green Racing gave local spinal cord injured patients the opportunity to experience open wheel racing behind the scenes at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the running of this year’s Indianapolis 500. It was part of the Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation’s “Day at the Races” Program.

During their special day at the world’s most famous speedway, patients also heard encouraging words from Sam Schmidt, race team owner and SSPF founder, who himself is a quadriplegic since a racecar driving accident in 2000 and who works daily to overcome the adversities of his own spinal cord injury.

The group toured the famed Gasoline Alley, met and talked to a lot of drivers and enjoyed a catered lunch in the Andretti-Green racing hospitality tent. It is all part of the healing factor that Schmidt wants to provide and the philosophy he incorporated when he first conceived the idea of using IndyCar racing to give something of value to those patients confined to wheelchairs with spinal cord injuries and whom many unfortunately forget.

“When I was in the rehabilitation hospital after my accident, I had met a lot of awfully nice people but saw some things that disturbed me”, said Schmidt, who in 2000 suffered a severe spinal cord injury in a practice crash while preparing for that year’s Indianapolis 500 that left him paralyzed from the neck down.

A fair number of these patients lose hope as they sit idle and most of the time alone, giving them a lot of time to think about what their futures hold. Concerns about the transition from in-patient rehabilitation to the home, insurance coverage, homecare, family and transportation, not to mention their own well being, often causes depression.

“During my rehab, I received thousands of cards and letters from well-wishers and visits from a lot of friends, family and colleagues. Unfortunately, many of the other patients weren’t as fortunate as me, and when visits from friends and family began to slow or were non-existent, I saw a lot of these patients affected psychologically. I vowed to try and change that when I was able to leave the hospital, and our ‘Days at the Races’ program has been able to restore the faith and hope in a lot of these patients because they again meet people who truly care about them”, Schmidt explained.

Since its inception, the SSPF has funded medical research projects throughout the world and over 1,000 spinal cord injured people and their families have attended “Day at the Races’ events. But Sam, now a racecar team owner, knows that there are many more people who could benefit from the program, and other ‘Day at the Races’ programs are planned for upcoming IndyCar races at Nashville Superspeedway in Tennessee, the Milwaukee Mile, Kentucky Speedway and Chicagoland Speedway.

“We collaborate with local rehabilitation centers and organizations for the disabled including VA hospitals, veterans associations. We invite patients and members of their families to the races and give them a truly ‘behind the scenes’ experience”, Schmidt said.

“Aside from all of the racing activities that these guests will participate in at each race, we also have guest speakers and celebrities stop by to visit to talk about the very concerns that they all have. Many times the experience represents the very first time away from the hospital for some patients, and the overall experience becomes quite therapeutic for everyone connected. We just need the funds to cover our costs for the events already scheduled and to plan for similar events in other markets”, Schmidt added.

The SSPF sponsors these events, and the Foundation continues to seek corporate and personal donations to help secure the funding to finance each one.

Those interested in supporting the SSPF and its “Day at the Races” program can visit www.samschmidt.org or the Foundation at 317-236-9999.