Dr. Daniel Grossman is an Emergency Medicine Physician, business leader, healthcare innovator, patient advocate, and wheelchair user. That combination wasn’t exactly the plan. But, when circumstances change and you’re forced to adapt, you have only a few options. One of those options is radical acceptance.

On Labor Day Weekend 2017, Dr. Grossman was mountain biking in Northern Minnesota when he fell and suffered a spine injury that resulted in a catastrophic spinal cord injury (SCI). Dr. Grossman spent the following five months in a variety of hospital and rehab settings and set aggressive goals to regain his passion and identity — his practice of Emergency Medicine.

Dr. Grossman returned to his clinical practice in Emergency Medicine within six months of his injury, now armed with a more intimate understanding of what it meant to be a patient. While working as a physician, Dr. Grossman had also established a robust career as a business leader, and he resumed this aspect of his career as well.

While navigating life with a spinal cord injury was not part of his plan, the experience has further reinforced Dr. Grossman’s commitment and passion to deliver high-quality healthcare to his patients, drive impactful innovation, and advocate for patients.

Journey With Me Into Vulnerability

I’m comfortable telling my story. Often, others are uncomfortable hearing it. I suppose that’s why I tell it — because if it makes you uncomfortable, then there is opportunity for growth. Even if you never meet me, you will inevitably meet someone with a disability — maybe you will see that disability, and maybe it will be invisible to you. But if me telling my story helps you to better understand what someone else is going through, or consider how you can advocate for or adapt something to help others, then that discomfort is worth it.

Everyone Needs a Little Push

Through incredible generosity of family, friends, and people I have never met, I was able to resume my life with minimal disruption. This meant remodeling my home to make it accessible and paying for a continuous stream of medical supplies and rehabilitation services not covered by insurance. I am grateful for your generosity in supporting this life-long recovery and rehabilitation. Many others in the Spinal Cord Injury community could benefit from your generosity as well, as together we break new ground in SCI Research!

Learn About Spinal Cord Injury

Even as a physician, I didn’t know much about spinal cord injuries (SCI) until my crash course in September 2017. Every single spinal cord injury is different. That makes it an incredibly difficult condition to both treat and for which to develop therapies. I am far from an expert in spinal cord injuries. I will provide some resources to learn more & describe the direction in which some research is headed.

Yes. That’s my CT scan. That’s my 8th thoracic vertebral body that basically exploded and injured the spinal cord.