It had been a couple of months since the major inflammation of the arthritis subsided. As the cold aluminum rails of the crutches rested against my arms, I made my way carefully, step by slow step, down the narrow hallway, the walls functioning as a backup in case I lost my balance. My previous record was a difficult six or seven steps to reach the bathroom. Now I had added an additional five shaky steps, which brought me to the edge of the walls and the opening to the living room. A difficult, daring and clanking turn in the open allowed me to return to my room as I counted each step, “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve,” and collapsed into bed—tired but victorious.

While other 18-year-olds were preparing for college, Greg Damerow was bedridden and hoping he might one day be able to walk again. Twenty years later, the adaptive cycle builder and handcycle athlete has turned tragedy into triumph—and recently returned from London as a spectator at the 2012 Paralympic Games.

“The disease I was diagnosed with is Ankylosing Spondylitis, an acute arthritis that attacks the larger joints of the body and spinal column,” he explained. “Although my hips no longer have motion as the cartilage has fused and turned to bone, I am able to walk using my knees and ankles.”

After nearly three years of major symptoms, the disease ceased progressing. At 21, Damerow learned to walk again with crutches, and by 25 he no longer needed a cane for normal everyday activity.

“I am blessed as there are many who have the disease symptoms chronically, requiring continuous and potent medications, usually with negative side effects,” he said. In the midst of this physical trial, some people questioned the basis of his faith in God. “From what I knew of the Bible and the story of Job, I knew I had to put the doubt and fear out of my mind,” he said.

The disability brought even more challenges. “After the majority of the pain had subsided and I was able to get around on crutches, the toughest thing to overcome was being outside of the house again and around people. It was difficult to see other people react to my disability,” recalled the 39-year-old from New Richmond, Ohio.

“After a while I noticed some reacted better than others, and I came to recognize that those people who reacted in the best way were usually Christians. If Jesus is your Savior even unto the uttermost depths of the valley of the shadow of death, then having to confront death and mortality in the form of a handicapped person is not a big problem. That is what, I believe, others are forced to confront when around someone like me. They may think and consider, ‘What if that happens to me?’ The thought can be terrifying to those who do not have the comfort of Christ.”

Once the pain subsided and the disease had taken its toll, Damerow was faced with the daunting task of learning to walk again—a journey that reflects his own spiritual walk. “The task ahead was to put one foot in front of the other. Literally. With each step I took, I had to learn to overcome the spasms and flinching that had built up in my body from the years of pain. I had to learn a dogged perseverance to walk again,” he said.

“That mindset about walking I have applied to many physical tasks, but I have also applied them to the spiritual,” he added. “From the experience of learning how to walk again, I came to see that everyday progress in knowing about and walking with Jesus will not happen unless I discipline myself to read the Bible, understand it and to pray about God’s promises, other people, my needs and His kingdom.”

Since relearning to walk, the member of Southwest Ohio RP Fellowship has discovered an unexpected passion for handcycling—first as a hobby and now as a profession.

A promotion at work meant a more sedentary job, prompting Damerow to get more physically fit. After a little online research, he was introduced to the world of handcycling, a sport where athletes ride modified bicycles powered by their arms rather than their legs.

Not only was he intrigued by the sport, Damerow also was inspired to build his own handcycle. “I built my first hand-cycle in March 2009 for health and fitness reasons, because most other forms of exercise simply are not an option,” he said. “Handcycling is one of the few sports in which I have the ability to compete.”

The inaugural ride was exhilarating. “The first time I rode, I had such a sense of speed and freedom of movement, something I had missed for almost 20 years,” he recalled.

That desire to maintain fitness grew into a passion for the sport. Damerow now is a handcycle racer on the U.S. Handcycling Federation race schedule. He most recently medaled in the USA Cycling Para-Cycling Championships—earning bronze in the 12-mile time trial and silver in the 30-mile road race in the H4 classification. He also is training to compete in the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Damerow also was one of 17 RP riders who trekked 300 miles over 5 days from Beaver Falls, Pa., to the RP International Conference in Marion, Ind.

He’s expanded his interest, too and taken up wheelchair racing. In fact, he’s placed second in the wheelchair category of the Air Force Marathon for two consecutive years.

Next on his list? He has his eyes set on triathlons and even an Ironman, in which he would swim 2.4 miles, handcycle 112 miles and push a wheelchair 26.2 miles—all in under 17 hours. Additionally, he is working to organize a handcycle race in Cincinnati during the summer of 2013. The competition is anticipated to be in omnium format—a series of races that would include multiple venues. Races to be staged include a short time trial where riders race against the clock for the fastest time, a long-distance road race on the open roads, and a criterium, which is a crowd-appealing, time-limited race held on a very small course, usually in a downtown setting. Damerow said he hopes to draw from the handcycle and paracycling racing community from all over the country.

The process of building his own handcycle and his subsequent racing led to the idea of starting his own business—one focused on providing customized cycles with personal service. Damerow now is building handcycles and other adaptive sports equipment for athletes with physical limitations. He and his business, Personalized Cycling Alternatives, recently made national headlines when he was named the winner of the Hartford Achieve Without Limits competition.

As the grand prize winner of the contest, Damerow won $10,000 of funding, mentorship from a U.S. paralympic athlete and a trip to the London 2012 Paralympic Games to cheer on Team USA.

“Many months ago when I first entered the contest the thought entered my mind, ‘What if I actually do win the trip to London?’ Back then, when thinking about the possibility of making the trip, it just seemed so remote, so unreal, and yet the possibility was always on my mind,” he said. “While sitting in Olympic Stadium for the first time with 80,000 other people cheering on the athletes, the reality of it all finally dawned.”

Watching the events and meeting the U.S. athletes helped build Damerow’s enthusiasm for the 2016 Games. “Seeing some of my fellow handcyclists getting their moment to perform in front of the eyes of the onlookers from around the world inspired me to look at my plans for the future, to see what God may have me undertake in the next four years,” he said.  Over the past six months, Damerow used his grant to fulfill his goal of expanding his custom adaptive bicycle business, which he began in 2010. He started this small business with the goal of building handcycles and adaptive bikes for riders of all abilities, including the best Paralympic athletes in the world.

“Greg exemplifies the courage, confidence and commitment of U.S. Paralympic athletes who push themselves to the limits to achieve extraordinary goals,” said Jonathan Bennett, executive vice president with The Hartford.

The Hartford, a founding partner of U.S. Paralympics, launched the Achieve Without Limits campaign in March 2011 to give consumers the opportunity to engage with elite U.S. paralympic athletes, to be inspired by their stories and understand what it means to achieve without limits.

The contest had invited Americans to submit a short video and brief essay describing a goal they hoped to achieve in one of three areas: small business growth, health and fitness, or community service. In January 2012, the top contestant in each category received a cash award and a U.S. paralympic athlete mentor to help put their plan into action.

“I was honored to be selected as the winner of the Achieve Without Limits Contest,” Damerow said. “It’s been a rewarding experience to share my journey with my mentor, who is also working to achieve a goal against all odds.”

Damerow used his $10,000 achievement award to build and refine prototypes of adaptive bicycles for competitive racing. The Hartford’s Facebook community tracked his progress via his blog posts, pictures and videos. Viewers watched Damerow face the common hurdles of starting a small business, including marketing his business, fine-tuning his product and finding new business opportunities. Damerow also shared personal experiences of using his handcycles in competitions and time trials.

Brent Rasmussen, a member of the U.S. Men’s Sitting Volleyball Team, served as Damerow’s mentor.

“It has been a true pleasure advising Greg and witnessing his sheer determination to make his dreams reality,” said Rasmussen. “I hope his story motivates and inspires others to overcome challenges and achieve their own goals.”

Damerow said it is his faith that has been his true comfort and motivator. “The most comforting, most assuring part of the journey has been to read the whole of the Bible, understand it and to see there the massive context that is Christ Himself—His superintendence of all things, His concern for his people, the final deliverance that Jesus provided and that finally His grace will triumph,” he said. “We taste a little of that deliverance now, but one day we will feast, when by His stripes we are healed and glorified in soul and body.”

—Lisa N. Knodel Lisa is a member of Southwest Ohio RP Fellowship in Mason, Ohio, and a longtime member of the RP Missions Advisory Board. She resides in Springboro with her husband, Chris, and children, Kaiya, 5, and Kaden, 1.