Nova Scotian working toward Paralympic dream after devastating crash
'I think they'd be pretty proud of what I'm doing now'
When he first got into the racing wheelchair and sped down the track, Dillon MacMillan says he knew it was the sport for him.
After losing the use of his legs in a car accident, the 22-year-old from Judique now has his sights set on this summer's Canada Games.
"I had tried a few other sports here and there, but being on the track in the racing chair really kind of spoke to me.… It was an amazing feeling," MacMillan said with a grin.
"I knew, I was like, this is the sport for me. I want to stick with this. Anything I've got to do, I'll do it."
'It's because of them I can move forward'
In 2013, MacMillan was one of seven people involved in a car crash in the Port Hood area. Three of his friends died.
"Ever since then, I try to move forward.… Just keeping the memory of my friends alive and strong and just not getting down on myself about what happened," MacMillan said.
"I think they'd be pretty proud of what I'm doing now.… It's because of them I can move forward."
MacMillan spent about six months in rehabilitation after the accident, which left him paralyzed from the waist down.
While the accident initially put his plans on hold, MacMillan eventually went on to get his welding certification from the Nova Scotia Community College.
It was shortly after that he said he wanted to get back into sports.
MacMillan has now been in training to race competitively, which he said is "pretty intense," for over a year.
Community support
He's also been to training sessions in Montreal, Atlanta, Ga., and Daytona Beach, Fla. — a trip he paid for through the support of his community.
"What made it really amazing for me was the work I put in to get there. I rented out our local fire hall in my community of Judique.… Had a wicked good turnout. I spoke for about two hours, raised over $2,000," he said.
"I get all the support in the world, to be honest, from friends, from family, from my community back home."
MacMillan has also started a GoFundMe page to keep up with the travel costs of competing — and hopefully help pay to attend this summer's Canada Games.
"My times [are] quite close to the Canada Games standards, which have to be met to qualify. Right now I've hit the standards for the 200-metre and hoping to hit standards for the 400-metre," he said, adding that the tryouts are this weekend.
The Canada Games, he said, are just the first step to his ultimate goal.
"I have a Paralympic dream," he said, smiling.
"Canada Games is the first step for me on that road. I'm hoping to medal, hoping to get on the podium and then kind of take it from there and see what next season holds for me."