“It doesn’t matter where you are or who you are, you can make anything happen. It doesn’t matter what the limitations, whether it be you’re living in a rural area, or you have disability. They’re all just barriers that you can just shatter.”

Jared’s words ring true. He is a person who makes things happen.

In his graduating year from high school Jared was one of the top ten volleyball players in Manitoba. A trip to 7-11 changed everything for him when he was in a car accident where he was injured – he broke his neck. In an instant he went from having a 40-inch vertical to a zero-inch vertical. He spent the next nine and a half months in the hospital learning how to do everything again from scratch. While he was recovering, he was introduced to wheelchair rugby and loved it – in his words he “saw the guys in chairs, they smashed into each other, I was like this is awesome! So, I got into a chair and I’ve been playing ever since.”

Jared has gone on to represent Canada at three Paralympic games where he won three Paralympic medals (2 silver and one bronze).

To hear more about Jared’s amazing journey, tune into Heroes in our Midst podcast #10.