INDIANAPOLIS — IndyCar team owner Sam Schmidt never lets off the gas when it comes to achieving a goal.
Now, he's the driving force behind a new state-of-the-art rehab center in Indy to help people with paralysis.
"I like results and I like results quickly and with this type of therapy, you see results immediately. You see miracles happening every day," Schmidt said. "So that motivates me and keeps me going every day to see that."
It's a personal mission. A crash in 2000 left the former IndyCar driver paralyzed from the neck down. But he said that devastating day shaped his destiny.
"I've come to realize that racing was my passion in life, but DRIVEN is really the purpose," Schmidt said.
Conquer Paralysis Now, the nonprofit he founded, is dedicated to spinal cord injury research and treatment.
Tuesday, it's opening in the former Five Seasons Sports Club, on East 96th Street. It's also now home to the second DRIVEN NeuroRecovery center, powered by Neurohope. The first is in Las Vegas.
Schmidt said moving headquarters from Vegas, where he lives, to his second home in Indy, just made sense.
"The Speedway, the community, the drivers have always supported us. What I love about this is we're finally bringing something here and we're spending the money here in keeping it here, so I'm just proud to be able to do that," Schmidt said.
The place is impressive. A $20 million remodel with 114,000 square feet of space. It has some of the most advanced equipment and technology in the country.
"You can pull up to any of this equipment in your wheelchair and actually do the workout there," Schmidt explained. "Over here, along this wall, we'll have a lot of one-on-one training with the PT's and the OT's. This treadmill, you basically get in there and it attaches to your hips, your thighs, your calves and it would walk me on the treadmill as long as I want to walk. It's incredible for bone density, blood flow, muscle mass."
Phase 1 of the facility includes everything from a hanging track, where harnesses help people walk, to group spin classes with adaptable bikes, to ADA-accessible aquatic therapy. There are two hydro pools at Indy's headquarters that you can't find anywhere in Indiana outside the Colts complex. Patients can also use monitors to watch their progress while going through weightless rehab in the water.
"The entire floor is a treadmill," Schmidt said. "This room needed to be built for this. It's got special lighting. It's got special AC. It's got special filters."
The facility's upstairs will act as a hub for other nonprofits and organizations that are focused on helping people with paralysis or neurological conditions. Eventually, they plan to have adaptive sports here, too, on the facility's former tennis courts and outdoors.
The DRIVEN NeuroRecovery center, powered by Neurohope, is already providing wellness and rehab: it opened to patients last week.
"Physical and occupational therapy for neuro conditions, speech therapy, a full accessible fitness center where people can roll up in their wheelchairs, use the equipment independently," explained DRIVEN executive director Brandi Kurka.
Schmidt said all of it is also affordable. He said he was lucky to have had professional athlete insurance and a stable support system when he got injured. Most people don't have that luxury. So this facility levels the playing field for all.
"PTs, OTs, therapists, their biggest regret is they have to go in every day and tell clients they're out of insurance, they have to go home, even though they're not ready. So this will be a place to send them," Schmidt explained. "We try to go at it from every angle and bill insurance if they have it. But if not, we get creative and the foundation raises money for those that don't have the money to be their otherwise."
Schmidt couldn't be prouder of what's happening here: helping others survive and thrive. Conquer Paralysis Now is seeking sponsors for Phase 2 of this project, with the adaptive sports fields.
Meanwhile, for patients or loved ones interested in a referral for rehab or therapy, you can learn more by clicking here.