In 2006, Roy Tuscany, an aspiring pro skier, was at Mammoth Mountain when he went 130 feet on a 100-foot ski jump. He fell from 30 feet in the air, and the impact fractured his T12 vertebrae, causing instant paralysis from the belly button down.
Tuscany was raised in Waterbury, Vermont, and moved to Lake Tahoe in 2004. Now at 43 years old, he lives in Reno, Nevada with his wife and son.
In 2009, he created the High Fives Foundation. This nonprofit's goal is to support athletes who have experienced life-altering injuries through a three-phase approach. First, the foundation looks at what is needed for recovery, from physical therapy to one-on-one workouts to alternative medicine. Then, they look at how they can create a better quality of life, like making home or vehicle modifications. Lastly, they hope to reconnect the athletes to the community through sports.
Tuscany said that his injury was the catalyst in starting the foundation. When he got hurt, his community in Vermont and the Sugar Bowl Academy in Lake Tahoe, where he was a ski coach, put together fundraisers to support him. Once he got to a good place in his recovery, Tuscany felt that he needed to pay it forward and help those who would fall into the same position he was in.
“It’s my calling, you know,” he said. “I think that’s why the day that I got hurt and had such a catastrophic injury… it’s really shaped me knowing that I was left on this planet to help others.”
Now, 15 years later, the organization has helped over 850 athletes.
Tuscany had his own struggles during his healing journey, such as facing uncertainty and hearing others give him a bleak outlook on life, but he draws from his experiences to guide others.
“One of the things I realized is once you stop trying to press rewind because we cannot rewind on life, you can actually start hitting play and living life again,” he said.
He likes to tell people that even if life may never be the same again, it can still be awesome.
Through his injury, Tuscany found unexpected fortunes. He was able to spend more time with his mom, as she was there to support him before she passed away from cancer. It also led him to meet his wife, Alana Nichols, who also has a disability.
His passion for sports continues, whether it’s skiing, mountain biking, surfing, fly fishing or driving off-road vehicles. Tuscany hopes to continue helping individuals with life-changing injuries, showing there is always a way forward.
Reporting by Stephanie Navarro Rocha with photos provided by the High Fives Foundation