Agnew accessibility advocate Ian McKay is known in the community for his extraordinary achievements riding his wheelchair across the state and other long distances, and finding great joy as he has developed a life promoting outdoor accessibility and inspiration for others challenged with mobility issues.  A new book “Ian’s Ride: A Long Distance Journey to Joy” describing Ian’s life transformation after great tragedy left him paralyzed from the neck down was released Monday, April 1. 

 Ian explained to Sassy Susan on KSQM Monday the book is about his transformation from years of depression after a bicycle crash rendered him a quadriplegic in 2008, to today and all the support he’s had along the way.

“What this is about is my journey back from tragedy and the only way I’m here today is because of my incredible family network that I have that picked me up and kept me moving forward.  And no matter how much I may have wanted to throw in the towel in the early days. And so I’m super lucky to have this incredible family.  And my mom has a huge voice in the book.

His mother, Tina Woodworth, kept a detailed dairy during those first years after the bicycle crash, an invaluable source of information for writer Karen Polinsky as she pieced together Ian’s story. 

“Basically she drank the ocean. She took in all this information and then she needed to distill it down to the story that she really chose to write. And then Ian and I would read, and then we’d tell her, no, no, that’s…and it’s like no good and we went back and forth many times. And it’s so honest and it’s so raw. And Ian and read this book and I don’t know how many times – dozens maybe. And every time I still cry. Every time it still brings me back to some really painful times.”

Since then Ian says he has found great joy in riding his chair outdoors every day he can.  He founded the Ian’s Ride non-profit organization to help spread the word.  

“That’s where I found my solace, was getting outside and getting to have some independence in finding a local pathway. Where it blew up is getting to talk with others about how special it was about those benefits and seeing how almost addictive that can be.”

 “Ian’s Ride: A Long Distance Journey to Joy” is now available through "iansride.com" and Amazon in paperback and audio book.  Proceeds from all sales benefit the Ian’s Ride non-profit.

Photo: from Iansride.com