Resume

Daniel Cahill #163

2009 Sponsorship & Support Proposal

Dear Potential Sponsor. I would like to present to you my future plans to your company and what I would like to achieve in the upcoming race season.

My name is Daniel Cahill; I am 22 years old and live in Independence, Kentucky. I was injured approximately four years ago while racing amateur motocross. I was planning to make my transition to the professional circuit that upcoming season. During a local stadium cross race, a hay bale cover caught on my rear brake while I was pre-loading for a jump. The bike bounced off the landing hitting me in the neck and back, resulting in paralysis and confining me to a wheelchair, or so I thought. Since my injury I have accomplished things that I and everyone around me believed would not or could not be done. I have had an unbelievably good group of friends, family, doctors, and supporters around me and I don’t want to let them down. Nor do I want to sell myself short. So I push every day to make my new lifestyle as good as it can be. I want to continue to keep pushing forward with my simple motto, “Life Goes On”.

My Past/ Story: Ever since I was an infant, I saw my dad’s dirt bikes in the garage and went to the races with my family. He got me my first bike, a PW50, when I was 4. Since then I have been hooked. I would always get out of school and head straight to the garage to watch dad work on the bikes, and then we would ride around our 1-acre wooded area by our house.

At age 7, I raced my first motocross race. After that race I started racing every weekend and improved every single time I got on my bike. I was running 80cc (7-11), and then at nationals I was running both stock and modified classes. At age 12 I got a ride with a local Honda dealer and stepped up to the 80cc (12-13) class along with 125cc Novice class. I did good in the local tri-state area for two years in novice class, then at age 14, I stepped completely off the 80’s and moved to 125 & 250 Intermediate. I then decided to sacrifice everything I could to become faster. I convinced my parents to let me move back and fourth between South Florida and home here in Kentucky.

My life was now motocross; my friends were at the track; and my training buddies were the people I hung out with daily. I was soon introduced to an Old Husquarvarna factory rider named Gene Stephenson. He started training me after qualifying for Loretta’s in two classes. He was without question the best thing that happened to my racing career, teaching me valuable techniques with my physical condition, but more importantly mental tricks and skills he had learned throughout his own career. Basically he gave me the confidence I needed. We then headed to Tennessee; I put in good rides at my first ever Loretta Lynn’s, the largest race for amateur up and coming riders. I then earned a ride with a KTM shop getting two race bikes a year and two practice bikes. I knew 2005 was my year to shine, I had the family support, I had good companies behind me, and I had the drive more than ever before. My mind was set on coming out swinging at the first national arena cross. I was training like a mad man! I would wake up 3 times a week at 7:30 in the morning to take an hour spin class. I was getting so into it and so motivated I actually did multiple classes a day sometimes.

On October 16th, 2004, I headed to a local stadium cross race to make some extra cash. While running fifth in my 250A qualifier I came together with another rider, catching a hay bale cover on my rear brake, while in the process of preloading for a triple. My front end, of course, dropped with the rear brake locked up, I was thrown over the handlebars, and the bike then came smashing into my neck & back.

I remember how good I had felt that day. But sadly that’s the last memory I have of that morning. I struck the dirt pretty hard. I remember laying on the ground, wondering what had just happened, I remember trying with everything I had to pull myself further out of the way so I didn’t get run over by other racers, but nothing was functioning, I had no idea what to do, or mainly, what on earth was wrong with me. I felt like I was in a totally different world. I remember hearing sounds of motocross bikes in the background and people yelling, but I felt like I was in a complete meditation. I remember trying to yell for help, then concentrating on breathing, then just simply fighting to keep my eyes open. I kind of dozed off I believe after that, but when I really knew my life was up for a change was when I woke up on the stretcher. Medics first asked me my name, which I knew. Then the two medics asked me to move different limbs, first asking to move my legs, then my arms. The absolute scariest words I had ever heard then followed out of the medic’s mouth. “He’s not moving a thing!” The entire time I thought I had been moving everything. My eyes were closed. I remember busting out in tears of fear wondering what was going to happen next, boy was I in for a surprise.

I was first transported to the Maysville hospital, and then transferred to air care to be flown immediately to the University of Kentucky for immediate back & neck surgery. I destroyed my c-5 in my neck, and the t3-t4-t5-t6 vertebrate in my back; I was diagnosed as a complete T3 paraplegic. I was then fused from the t2-t10 vertebrates. I stayed in the University of Kentucky hospital for five days. I first received sensory and motor movements from chest up (including arms and fingers) while there. Then I was transferred to Cardinal Hill rehab center, also located in Lexington Kentucky. While there my family and I researched the top spinal cord injury rehabilitation hospitals in the world. They ended up flying me to Englewood, Colorado on October twenty eighth to rehabilitate at Craig hospital. My brother and I called that hospital home for almost four months during which time, he stayed by my side. After coming back to Kentucky and home, I faced a reality that was like taking a punch from Mike Tyson. Life was hard. Dirt bikes and motocross weren’t even an option in my life anymore. My entire life’s passion and training; what I thought of as life itself was simply torn from my grip in a split second. I was faced with one huge question. What would I do with my life, and how could I stay involved in the sport of motocross?

After My Injury: After seeing my X-Rays, I knew that coming back would be the hardest challenge I would ever face in my life. But I was determined to give it everything I had left. Rehab started immediately, and I still do rehab about 15 hours a week at the facility. But to be honest, the best rehab I do is living life. I have accomplished what every Doctor I ever met with said I would not be able to do. I can walk with the use of a brace and a walker. I can ride a stationary bike, and I can smile when I go into doctor appointments and they look amazed.

I then started looking at how to get involved back into a sport that involved a motor of any sort. I was given some hand bikes, and played a bunch of different wheel chair sports but that just wasn’t for me. I then started building an off-road jeep to get back into the woods and catch some sort of adrenaline rush. I started playing with it on the weekends, and before too long we were modifying a full tube chassis custom rock crawler, with a hand control as a throttle. It was great, and I earned 3rd place in the IOK series, then 7th in the Pro division at a series called Gravelrama. (2007-2008). But it wasn’t enough. Now, I’m asking for support to do more.

Goals for 2009

From previous sponsorship relationships, I know in order to gain sponsorship from a company the company looks at how the sponsored athlete will be able to represent them to a certain audience. I have kept this in mind and have created a program that will give your company exposure to a variety of consumers. A big goal of mine in this upcoming year, not race related, is to head to a rehabilitation hospital once a week to inspire newly injured spinal cord injury patients to know that life goes on after an injury. I believe it is very important to reach out to- these patients shortly after they are injured to give them something to look forward to and want to accomplish as soon as they are strong again. My two biggest goals for 2009 are to raise $50,000 dollars for private research of spinal cord injury, through our foundation, and finish in the top 5 in one of the series I am going to participate in.

Series I plan on racing:

  • GNCC series
  • Mid Ohio Action Sports
  • IOK Champions Shootout

    Why Sponsor me?

    Instead of just telling you myself why I believe your company would be making the best decision by choosing to sponsor me, I’ve decided to have a good friend give you an outside aspect on why I should be sponsored as well:

    Daniel Cahill has become an inspiration to people who know his story and see the remarkable strides he has made in returning to a normal life. He was injured during a motocross race four years ago and injured so severely that his survival was doubtful. He not only survived, but he pursued every avenue open to him, from surgery to therapy to excruciating physical training in order to return to a normal life. Told he would never walk again, Daniel has progressed from total paralysis from the neck down (quadriplegia) to partial movement in arms and legs to the full recovery of his arms and the ability to walk with the aid of a walker. Daniel’s courage and commitment to his goal of living a normal life are akin to the courage and dedication shown by Michael Phelps to attain the goals that he attained. Only Daniel has attained his goals despite overwhelming odds stacked against him. Daniel overcame medical prognoses, damaged nerve endings, torn and desiccated muscles, and overpowering pain. He refused to give up or give in, and he has accomplished more than those of us who are “normal” because of it.

    Daniel’s motto says it all: Life goes on. Now, he wants to return to the sport, which is the passion of his life. Daniel will be using special equipment for his race bike in order to enable him to ride with certainty and confidence. He is well known and respected throughout the Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati areas.

    Any Company which sponsors Daniel will be getting highly favorable and widely circulated publicity for its name. A Daniel Cahill race will be the epitome of courage, hope, and determination, qualities that will accrue to the name of the company logo that he bears on the bike and race gear. I strongly urge you to give Daniel the opportunity to demonstrate his prowess and his character. You will be impressed, and I believe you will want to be the one to give him his ultimate chance to truly make his life go on—onward, upward, and into history as the essential competitor, honed in the fire and gracious in his pursuit of victory.

    If your company decides to be involved with me, I will make sure your brand gets recognized in everything I do. Your company’s logos will be displayed in the most prominent areas on all of my gear Helmets, bikes, transport trailer, videos, walker, and whatever else I can manage to get it on. Your company will not receive exposure for your product in just one sport but many sports through my active lifestyle. I believe I can make a bigger impact on people than most athletes could and would love to have your company be involved because you appear too have many of the positive goals that I have: commitment, determination, and outreach to those who need support. I love being the one pushing the “disabled” limits and as you can tell, still have a lot planned. This is just the beginning. All I need to make this possible is your company’s support!

    As said previously, your company’s logos will be displayed in determined locations on my racing equipment, transportation trailers and racing apparel. The pictures I get in magazines or any other publicity I may get in the future, I will be featured using your product.

    I hope your company decides to support my activities and capitalizes on this unique sponsorship Opportunity. You can trust I will always represent your company and its products to the best of my ability in a professional and honorable way.

    If you have any question or comments feel free to contact me at:

    Hardwalking.com (spinal cord foundation site)
    Email- motoxxxcahill @ aol.com
    Phone- 859-802-1273
    Mail- 6089 Taylor Mill Rd. Covington KY 41015

    Thank You for Your Consideration,

    Daniel A.E Cahill #163