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Challenge accepted: how an accident forced a young athlete to reimagine his life

Mackenzie Johnson wasn't sure what life would look like after an accident left him wheel-chair bound but thanks to the Challenged Athletes Foundation his love of sports keeps him going strong. 

From the time he was a little boy, all Mackenzie Johnson wanted to do was play sports. There wasn't a court, track or field he didn't come to love. So when a fall left him partially paralyzed at the age of 19, Mackenzie struggled not only with the loss of daily abilities but the love of his life: sports.


During a family trip to the west coast, at a gas station, the legendary basketball player and sports caster Bill Walton walked in and changed Mackenzie's future forever. 


Bill introduced Mackenzie (Mack) to the Challenged Athletes Foundation which grants money to people who need to purchase adaptive equipment. With the support of CAF and Bill's mentorship, Mack found wheelchair basketball and an entire group of athletes.


He now is part of the Charlotte Rolling Hornets and is a mentor himself to others through CAF and his own community. 

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