Gang Member Turns To Sport

James Lilly was shot twice, and paralyzed, while in a gang fight at the age of 15 in the South Side of Chicago. After the accident, James remained in the gang and his life continued to spiral downhill; until he decided to change his life around and move to Texas when he was 19 years old. Now, 20 years after the shooting, James lives in the south west side of Chicago with his wife and two kids. He is both a motivational speaker and a professional wheelchair athlete; the race he trains the hardest for is Sadler’s Ultra Challenge, which is a 267-mile stage race from Fairbanks to Anchorage, Alaska.

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