Aaron “Wheelz” Fotheringham, 27, can do amazing skating stunts.
But what’s even more amazing is that he does all of it with his wheelchair.
Because he was born with Spina Bifida, Aaron can’t use his lower limbs. He’s been in a wheelchair since he was three but it was obvious he had a natural affinity for skating. When he was 14, he became the first person to ever land a back-flip using a wheelchair.
Watch to meet this amazing man, Aaron, in the video below.
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Video credit: Rumble
Aaron, from Las Vegas, said: “I wouldn’t say that Spina Bifida defines me.
“The opportunities that I’ve seen because of my wheelchair have just been unreal and I wouldn’t change it for anything.
“I’ve become a professional WCMX (Wheelchair Motocross) rider, which is pretty much taking skateboard and BMX tricks and performing them in a wheelchair.
“I was the first-ever person to land the backflip, the double backflip, front flip, a backflip 360 and a backflip 180 in a wheelchair.
“I was 14 at the time I landed the backflip – I have tried this trick hundreds of times since and I’ve only landed it twice.
“I feel grateful every day that I’ve been able to find something that I love and to be able to make a living from riding a wheelchair is pretty cool!”
To date, Aaron has undergone 22 surgeries.
“Growing up with all the surgeries, I spent a lot of time in the hospital – that was rough,” he said.
“It affects the strength in my knees, my ankles and my hips. I have a little bit of movement in my hips and my knees, but nothing in my ankles. I’ve been riding for 19 years now. I first dropped into a skate park when I was eight years old, thanks to a little peer pressure from my brother.
“After a couple of crashes, a couple of face-plants, I was able to roll away from it. From that moment, I was hooked.
“I would actually say the most challenging thing about life with Spina Bifida is the way other people treat me because of it.
“The first time people see me in a skate park, they’re normally like ‘what are you doing here?’
“But then by the time I’ve done some tricks, they’re just totally pumped. It’s cool to see how supportive most people are.”
Aaron also has a dedicated online following with his Instagram account having more than 500,000 followers.
The fact that people see him as inspiration keeps him going.
Kaleb Lyons, one of Aaron’s online followers, said: “I followed him on Instagram and went through his whole page.
“Just the fact that he landed the double backflip in a wheelchair is so amazing.
“He is so inspiring! I’m just speechless from what he does.”
But no one is a bigger fan of Aaron than his wife, Charlee.
They got married on February 2018 and even though it worries her that Aaron might get hurt doing stunts, she readily admits how much the sport has made him who he is.
She said: “I think that what Aaron shows individuals, is that the struggle doesn’t define you for the rest of your life.
“When I look at him, I’m mostly in awe.
“Aaron’s ability in the skate park is extremely impressive. If you watch him, the way he moves with his chair, it’s like they’re one and the same.
“It’s beautiful to watch.
“It’s also quite scary for me. He’s not going to give up and sometimes, it drives me crazy because I wish he could stop.
“But the successes are so much greater because he accomplishes them after all of the hard work.”
As for Aaron, not only does he want to get better in the sport, he wants to help make Wheelchair Motocross more mainstream.
“I want to see more kids out there in the parks, having fun with their wheelchair,” he said.
“Riding has given me so much to be thankful for.
“I’ve said this before, a wheelchair is just wheels stuck to your butt – how can that not be fun?”
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