One way Jason Wheeler has been dealing with his nerve condition is through hand-cycling.

“If I do it for 100 feet to three miles, I’m in heaven,” he said “It’s the best thing I’ve ever done since I got injured.”

He added that he is trying to get more people involved with hand-cycling because it helps out mentally.

“If you have any type of disability at all you feel like you’re the same as everybody else,” he said. “When you’re able to be competitive again, it’s the best feeling in the world.”

Adam Bleakney, disability sports coach for Illini men’s and women’s track, field and racing teams, said that once people with disabilities are able to get connected with activities such as hand-cycling, it is typically very rewarding for them.

“It’s really thrilling and I can see for him how excited he is just to be able to get back outside to train and sweat and have goals,” he said.

Wheeler’s passion for hand-cycling has led to his aspiration to try out for the U.S. Paralympics team.

“If I didn’t make the team, the U.S. Paralympics team, I would push somebody else to be a little bit faster,” he said.

Bleakney said he has not seen Wheeler enough to comment on his chances with the U.S. Paralympics team but said the veteran’s level of commitment is “incredible” and mentioned that he even expressed desire to participate in a marathon in an everyday wheelchair.