Man paralyzed by tragic accident changes his life through his gym: “They have a purpose”

A tragic accident changed Mark Raymond Jr.'s life eight years ago, but it didn't stop him from helping and inspiring others like him.

Raymond described it as a normal day on the Fourth of July weekend of 2016.

“The difference was that Mom wasn't there to yell, 'Mark, don't jump off the boat,'” he said.

Raymond hit his head on the sandy bottom of Lake Pontchartrain in Louisiana. After that terrifying moment, he said he could no longer move.

Raymond's best friend rescued him. He awoke from an induced coma several weeks later after breaking the fifth vertebra in his neck, which left him paralyzed and prevented him from walking or using his hands properly.

Raymond could only imagine what the future held for him.

“Will I still find love? Will I still, you know, have friends,” he asked himself.

After the accident, Raymond went from being a sociable outdoorsman to a loner. He said he suffered from suicidal thoughts and depression for a while.

Road to recovery

One day, while scrolling through Instagram, Raymond came across a rehabilitation facility in California.

“Seeing a room full of empty wheelchairs and people doing things that doctors had told me I couldn't do, this attempt to challenge the norm, to go one step further, was, I think, what really fascinated me,” he said.

Raymond spent three months at the facility. After just the first month, he knew he needed to bring a similar program to the New Orleans area.

Inspire and change lives

Today, the 35-year-old's training focus is on adapting seating equipment.

Two years after his accident, Raymond founded the Split Second Foundation. In 2021, he opened his gym in New Orleans. It was a decision he made not only for himself, but also for others with different needs.

The name of the gym was suggested by his hero, the friend who pulled him out of the water, because Raymond's life had changed in a split second.

Raymond said he has a number of clients.

“We have strokes. We have spinal cord injuries. We have cerebral palsy.”

Next year, the gym will move into a building with five times more space. Raymond said he wants to inspire his clients to perform better in a supportive environment.

“We want them to achieve something, but most importantly we want them to feel like they belong, have a purpose in life, have a home.”

As for his own goals, he would like to be on a boat again soon.

“This is Louisiana. Louisiana's 'sportsman's paradise,'” he said. “I want a boat that I can roll this chair onto and still roll around a little and have fun.”