\u201cI have an understanding of those aspects of life, from being fiercely independent to disabled and dependent on everybody around me, to having hidden disabilities,\u201d Farrell, a Glasgow, Ireland, resident, said. \u201cIt gives me a better outlook on life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Accompanied by a vehicle traveling ahead, he plans to walk about 37.5 miles daily, staying in hotels and sometimes being joined by walkers and people in wheelchairs. He is booked for \u201cGood Morning America\u201d on Aug. 17.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere will be mountains, deserts, everything you can think of, prairies, farmlands,\u201d Farrell said of the nearly 3,000-mile trek, sponsored by Crown, a building envelope company. \u201cWe\u2019re not going through many big towns.\u201d<\/p>\n
Farrell\u2019s journey will take him through Monument Valley, at the Utah-Arizona border; St. Louis; Columbus, Ohio; the Colorado Rockies; and much of the nation, as well as a literal story of the road to recovery.<\/p>\n
\u201cA spinal cord injury is classified as one of the most devastating injuries a human being can sustain,\u201d he said. \u201cIt changes your life in an instant. I feel very privileged that I can put one foot in front of another.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Fergus Farrell, who was paralyzed in a 2018 spinal injury, relearned how to walk and is now preparing to cross the country on foot.Photo courtesy of Fergus Farrell<\/p>\n
Farrell operated a motor coach company with 35 buses until his back went out when he carried a 60- to 80-pound metal bench in his yard on Oct. 26, 2018.<\/p>\n
\u201cI picked up that bench, took one step. There was a massive explosion in my back,\u201d Farrell said. \u201cI was completely paralyzed from the rib cage down. I was given a 5 percent chance of walking again.\u201d<\/p>\n
He ruptured his disks, severing his spinal cord, which led to an operation that day. Lying in bed at Ireland\u2019s National Rehabilitation Hospital, Farrell tried to \u201cnot fall into a negative place,\u201d but lost more than the use of his legs.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn a space of six to 12 months, my business, my body and marriage collapsed,\u201d he said. \u201cI used visualization. I never realized the power of it. I didn\u2019t visualize jumping out of bed and going out the door.\u201d<\/p>\n
He visualized simply moving a toe, regaining movement in his toes and then more, continuing physical therapy in pools, with volunteers and equipment until, seven months later, he took his first walk.<\/p>\n
\u201cI couldn\u2019t walk more than 20 or 30 meters without falling over,\u201d Farrell said. \u201cI had massive balance issues. I was still told I\u2019d be wheelchair-bound in public. I had a big journey to go.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Fergus Farrell says his body is still working to reconnect his broken spinal cord, but he is preparing to walk across America.Photo courtesy of Fergus Farrell<\/p>\n
After being released from the National Rehabilitation Hospital in 2019, he found himself in a psychiatric ward after the breakdown of his body, marriage and business, as well as morphine addiction.<\/p>\n
\u201cLuckly, I was saved by somebody I used to play rugby with,\u201d Farrell added. \u201cI\u2019m extremely lucky to do what I\u2019m doing.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
He has completed the four-peak challenge, climbing Ireland\u2019s four highest peaks, run four ultramarathons and, on the first anniversary of his release from the rehabilitation center, walked across Ireland.<\/p>\n
\u201cIreland is very small,\u201d Farrell said of the 251-kilometer walk. \u201cBut it was massive milestone with me.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
He and a ghostwriter wrote \u201cRebuilding a Man,\u201d and he is a keynote speaker focusing on health, safety, resilience and motivation, speaking to companies from Toyota to construction, data centers and sports groups.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow did I get there? Hard work,\u201d he said. \u201cMy feet are on fire all the time. My body\u2019s all the time trying to reconnect the broken spinal cord.\u201d
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Farrell speaks to companies and sports groups about resilience and motivation, drawing on his experience recovering from a spinal cord injury.Photo courtesy of Fergus Farrell\n<\/p>\n
Farrell and a colleague tried to row from the Chelsea Piers across the Atlantic in 2022, crossing the Brooklyn Bridge before that trip and stopping after breathing difficulties 16 days into the voyage.<\/p>\n
\u201cI took that row on too early in my recovery,\u201d he said. \u201cI wasn\u2019t quite ready for it. I realized that when I got back out of that boat.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
Two years ago, he gave a talk at the Spinal Injuries Ireland Wellbeing Summit, where the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation showed their documentary about Christopher Reeve to an audience of people with spinal cord injuries.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember leaving that summit. I was driving home,\u201d Farrell said, feeling he should do something to help. \u201cI said to myself I\u2019m going to walk across America. I\u2019m going to raise awareness and money.\u201d<\/p>\n
He worked with a clinical nutritionist, walked over 3,000 kilometers in 18 months and trained. He plans to walk about six kilometers an hour daily for 10 to 12 hours, including breaks.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople of all abilities can join me at certain stages, which I hope they do,\u201d Farrell said. \u201cThis journey is about connecting with people as well.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
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Fergus Farrell\u2019s cross-country journey will be documented by Heavy Man Films as he walks nearly 3,000 miles from Brooklyn to Santa Monica.Photo courtesy of Fergus Farrell\n<\/p>\n