The Inspiring Journey of Aaron Baker

Aaron Baker was a rising star in the world of professional motocross in the late 1990s. In 1999, at 20 years old, he had just signed a deal with Suzuki and was ready to take the motocross world by storm. All that changed on May 26, 1999 in Simi Valley, CA, when he crashed during a practice run, went over the front of his dirt bike, broke cervical vertebrae 4, 6, and completely shattered the 5th cervical vertebra. He remained conscious during the accident and injury and immediately understood that he had suffered a life-changing injury. According to Aaron: “From the moment I hit the ground I knew I was to embark on a journey of almost unimaginable power, for to overcome an injury of this magnitude takes more than just the fire inside me.”

The Early Days Post-Injury

Aaron was flown to Los Robles Regional Hospital in Thousand Oaks, CA where his broken vertebrae were fused with a titanium plate. The doctors then informed him that there was a one-in-a-million chance that he would ever regain any function below his injury. Family surrounded Aaron during his long rehabilitation. His mother, Laquita, dropped everything to spend every moment with her son, and his father Dan worked tirelessly to provide for Aaron and his increased medical needs. After five months of inpatient therapy, Aaron was transferred to outpatient care where he spent the rest of the year rehabilitating.

The Next Stage

After completing a year of rehabilitation, Aaron’s insurance company considered his treatment and rehabilitation complete, but - still confined to an electric wheelchair - the athlete in Aaron wasn’t willing to give up. In June of 2000, Aaron began working with Taylor-Kevin Isaacs to continue his rehabilitation progress. Isaacs pushed Aaron to the extreme with a four-day-per-week, two-hours-per-day training program. The work was hard, but the results began to pay off. After months of work with Isaacs, Aaron was able to hold a one-pound dumbbell – a huge win for someone who was told he would never recover function.

Back in the Saddle

Two years after his injury, Aaron started on his journey back to two wheels. He began pedaling a stationary recumbent bike – an unbelievable feat for such a serious injury. Aaron continued pushing hard, and less than four years post-injury he was riding a tandem bike with his mother. Today, Aaron has recovered an astonishing amount of function and has returned to competing. He can now walk short distances and rides custom-built tricycles both on and off-road. His progress is truly impressive – and Aaron attributes much to the support of his family and his athletic instincts and abilities. He says, “What the mind can conceive and believe you truly can achieve.”

Giving Back and Helping Others

Aaron now focuses his considerable energy and attention to helping others realize their dreams. He founded a gym in Northridge, CA with his mother known as C.O.R.E. – Center of Restorative Exercise. C.O.R.E. operates on one overarching philosophy: “the risk of secondary complications and degenerative changes that typically follow disability may be prevented and/or significantly reduced if exercise became an important part of the daily routine of every disabled individual”. Aaron also balances the demands of C.O.R.E. with non-profit work, public speaking, writing and living a fulfilling life. Aaron and those he has inspired are proof of the power of physical health and exercise for rehabilitation and recovery after a spinal cord injury.

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