Twenty-four-year-old Tito, a native of La Paz, Mexico, has always loved the ocean. Swimming, fishing, kayaking, and surfing were all a part of Tito’s life before his injury.
In 2011, Tito was involved in a vehicle collision while asleep in the back seat of a car. He fractured his C1, C5, and C6 vertebrae leaving him a quadriplegic.
During the months following his injury, Tito worked to strengthen his arms and also regained some movement in his hands. And now Tito uses that upper body movement to continue enjoying some of the water activities he’s always loved.
“When I enter the water, I forget everything and I live in the moment. I don’t feel different. I don’t feel like a person with a disability.”
Dive Without Barriers-Mexico recently invited Tito on an adaptive scuba diving adventure. First, Tito practiced in an indoor pool to help him get used to how his body would move through the water. Without gravity limiting Tito’s movements, he was able to glide through the water rather easily.
After practicing in the pool, it was time for Tito to try exploring the open ocean. Several instructors assisted Tito on his adventure. They helped with transferring him onto the boat, and an instructor accompanied him during his underwater exploration.
“You forget everything and it’s only you and the bottom of the sea. And you feel that freedom that I had some time ago. And you recover it while you’re down there.”
Tito has achieved his professional certification in diving and continues pursuing this new passion. “Scuba diving is separate from my therapy. But it definitely influences my recovery,” he shares. “I feel closer to what I am in the water. I feel different, and it helps me keep going.”
Be sure to share this post with others to show them there’s always a way to engage in activities you loved doing prior to an injury. Tito is a great example of this!