Abby Dunn in wheelchair racing chair at NorCal 2020 HS Adaptive Track + Field Training
Physical Challenge: Paralysis
Sports: Wheelchair Basketball, Track and Field/Running
Hometown: Northern California

Growing up, Abby Dunn lived a very active lifestyle. She participated in basketball, soccer, and her personal favorite gymnastics. Her dream was to compete in gymnastics at the highest level at the Olympics one day. In 2016, Abby was diagnosed with Accute Flaccid, an auto-immune disease that causes muscle weakness and possibly paralysis.

In just a short time after getting diagnosed, Abby became paralyzed from the waist down. But her love for sports pushed her to learn how to participate in adaptive athletics. Just 8 months after she became paralyzed, she was attending her first wheelchair sports camp in Chico, CA. In 2019, she was awarded with a Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF) grant for a brand-new racing chair. With the help of CAF, she learned to use the chair in pre-season training clinics through CAF High School Adaptive Sports Programs.

With a newly found passion for wheelchair basketball, she put in the time and the work and attended a Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Camp at University of Texas – Arlington. Now, Abby is finishing up her senior year at Lassen High School and has recently signed a scholarship offer to attend the University of Arizona and play for the wheelchair basketball team. Her new goal: to one day compete in the Paralympics!

 

In The Media:

 
Heroes of Sport | Episode 23

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