Hi! I'm Aman Deshmukh

On March 6, 2025, a pole vaulting accident changed my life. I went from being an active, healthy teen to a wheelchair-bound quadriplegic.
Thanks to everyone who supported me by signing the petition for my treatment referral to Craig Hospital. Your have made a difference and after five months of hospital stay, I am getting ready to plunge back into school and community life at home.
My future commitment: not letting my spinal cord injury define who I am, and looking beyond my personal situation to advocate for accessible design and school sports safety.

How did I get here?
In March 2025, as a sophomore at Foothill High School in Pleasanton and the pole vault captain on the school’s track team, I had set ambitious goals and was clearing 11 ft. Unfortunately on March 6, during track practice at school, I had an accident and injured my C4 and C5 cervical vertebrae.

EMTs rushed me to UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland where their great trauma team helped get me to a more stable state. Within five days, I had three procedures including spinal fusion.
After three weeks, the amazing medical teams at UCSF along with my friends and family had brought me to a point where I could be moved from the ICU. I started breathing on my own and was slowly able to eat most meals. The tremendous community support that poured in, from my track team, family and friends, and the Scouting community, kept me going.

Thanks to my UCSF medical team's referral and with 5,000+ signatures from around the world on my petition, I was able to complete acute in-patient rehab at Craig Hospital in Denver. It has been amazing to be part of a teenage cohort at a specialized spinal cord injury rehab facility, and the experience has given me the courage and resilience to push myself to my (new) physical and emotional limits.

A bit about me...
Multicultural: I have grown up in Europe, Asia, and the United States and cherish my friendships across the world. It has been wonderful to make new friends even during my hospital stay.
Leadership: As captain of my High School pole vault team, Boy Scouts summer camp instructor at Wolfeboro, and as a volunteer for causes focused on sustainability, I have enjoyed helping others and learning in the process.
Creativity: I am very interested in transportation design and am a hobbyist photographer. I am always thinking of new ideas and making a difference in the world. My new passion: making a difference with accessible design.
Academics: I am curious about many different topics. I take pride in doing my best in all of my courses, whether it is English or Engineering, and have been recognized with a US President's Education Award. Even while being hospitalized, I worked with Craig teachers and my high school to take the AP World History test. Imagine my excitement when Craig Hospital did a special feature on this milestone!I am grateful for all the support I have received so far. What's in store for my next chapter? Getting back into high school and community life, and channeling my life-altering injury to serve others through advocating for accessible design, spinal cord injury awareness, and school sports safety.

Homecoming and beyond...
Three and a half months of rehab has made me stronger, and it's been great to be back home.
What Fall 2025 is shaping up to be like:
- settling into home routines
- reconnecting with local family and friends
- starting my junior year with PUSD's awesome home hospital instruction program, with a transition plan for in person school later in Fall (Go Falcons!)
- spending time with friends from track, Boy Scouts, and school
- starting to spread awareness about school sports safety and accessibility through school clubs, community non-profits, and social media

Ring out the old, ring in the new...
2026 is off to a strong start. The one year anniversary of my accident is around the corner. I want to highlight some of the special organizations that have supported my recovery and cheered me along this journey
- Children's Hospital Oakland is where I continue to go back regularly for medical check-ups and social connections. Their caregiving and rehab teams are forever a part of our family
- Craig Hospital continues to provide support in the form of their home hospital teacher program, groundbreaking research, wheelchair expertise, and medical advice
- The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation has opened so many doors and provided sound, practical life advice since my early days in the ICU
- SCIFit Dublin makes sure I stay on top of my recovery game, with a fantastic therapist team that makes rehab fun
- California Children's Services (CCS) Livermore has a stellar support system that goes above and beyond in helping with hospital to home transitions, along with having a great sense of humor
- NorCal SCI has been instrumental in supporting my recovery through their generous grant programs and peer network
- BORP is an outreach and recreation program like no other, and I have been able to explore cycling and power soccer with them. Next on my list is adaptive rock climbing!
- Ibot by Mobius Mobility is my power wheelchair provider, with a unique design that supports an active lifestyle. I was fortunate enough to recently speak with their CEO Lucas Merrow about adaptive design and share some of my user experience perspective2026 will see me continue to advocate for student athlete safety through the ASSERT initiative that I co-created and further explore my interest in adaptive technologies for education and accessible design.

Thank you so much for the continued support!

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