Patrick "Pat" Rummerfield (born September 7,1953) is the first spinal cord injury (SCI) quadriplegic in history to recover full physical mobility.
He recalls, "I was lying in bed one night, thinking how much I loved to play basketball and dreamed of driving a race car one day when my big toe moved."
Doctors have partially credited his recovery to his commitment to a then daily regimen of intensive physical therapy, including weightlifting, jump rope, and stationary bicycle.
While his physical mobility is essentially normal, Rummerfield still experiences loss of sensation in his lower legs, impaired bowel and bladder function, reduced strength in his hands, and difficulty regulating body temperature.
In 1997, he ran the Antarctica Marathon[4] – one of only 82 people to complete the 42.195-kilometre (26.219 mi) course which crosses glaciers, icy streams, rock beds and soggy beaches in sub-zero temperatures and 45 mph winds.
Rummerfield is the holder of the FIA World Land Speed Record for a Class III electric vehicle (over 1000 kg), at 245.5 miles per hour (395 km/h), in White Lightning, set October 22, 1999.
[7] Rummerfield has said about his initial injury from drunk driving, "I made a huge mistake and take full responsibility for my irresponsible actions."
He has appeared on Ty Pennington's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition in support of a fellow paraplegic's recovery efforts at the Kennedy Krieger Institute.
[1] Rummerfield was on the team at Washington University in St. Louis credited with helping Christopher Reeve regain function.