Shane Hultine
Shane was born in rural Illinois and attended local community college before moving up to Northern Illinois University. He acquired a B.S. in Industrial Engineering Technologies and Management.
He then moved to Aurora, Illinois to work as an assistant manager at a local production facility. Things were on the right track for Shane until a horrific motorcycle accident. As he reached an intersection, a car pulled out in front of him. Without adequate time to avoid it, his bike slammed into their broadside at high speed. The damage was extensive. Many fractures and a spinal fracture from the C-6 to T-2 vertebrae, resulting in a complete spinal cord injury at the C-8 vertebrae. This required a spinal fusion procedure from C-6 to T-2 to repair what could be salvaged. At that time, Shane Hultine‘s classification was a C-8 quadriplegic from the trauma.
Though the following process of rehab was tough on Shane. However, He had no shortage of love and support to get him through. For a long time, a large external fixator, attached to his knee in order to mend some of the damage from the crash, severely limited his ability to participate in much of his rehab. After getting the device removed, therapy became easier and more rewarding. After discharge, he moved back to Omaha. His father was quadriplegic as well, and the insight and empathy he shared with his son were invaluable in helping Shane understand his situation. With enough hard work and determination, he managed to regain a lot of his upper body mobility. Now, he is medically reclassified as a T-2 paraplegic.
He hadn’t considered swimming a possibility until after some pool sessions in rehab and a bit of snorkeling. Soon, they referred him to DiVentures in Omaha, Nebraska to see if he might enjoy adaptive scuba diving. We hope that Shane can find freedom in the waves with his instructor Mike Poole of DiVentures!
