SACRAMENTO-
A local athlete has overcome struggles to inspire others to do their best.
David Van Brunt, 46, of Sacramento is a seasoned tennis player.
When you meet him, you first recognize he is only about 4 feet tall.
“I was in a motorcycle accident on December 3, 1993, on Interstate 80,” Van Brunt said. “The back four wheels of an 18-wheel tanker rolled over the lower half of my body.”
He suffered a traumatic brain injury, a shattered pelvis, and the loss of his legs. He was in a medically induced coma for four months.
“Once I woke up, it took another probably three to four weeks until I could independently get from the bed to the wheelchair,” he said.
Van Brunt forever became bound to a wheelchair.
He remembered being depressed and unmotivated. But one day, a woman at his rehabilitation center told him, “life is not over,” and that he should try wheelchair tennis.
“I thought it was insane, but I got bored, so I called her,” Van Brunt said.
Twice a week, every week, he would practice.
By 2004, he was ranked No. 1 in Level A-Wheelchair tennis in California.
By then, Van Brunt was back at Sacramento State University, on his way to earning a master’s degree in Social Work.
“All God told me was, ‘You need to get over feeling sorry for yourself, and go help other people,'” he said.
It all began with his thesis project called TIES, short for Teaming Individuals Emphasizing Sports.
“It’s now a non-profit, where we use tennis as a way to integrate into society, and to have disability awareness for people not in chairs,” Van Brunt said.
He soon recruited Sacramento’s own, retired wheelchair tennis professional, Michael Yousefi, to spread the word. In 1999, Yousefi was ranked No. 16 in the world.
“This is kind of my way of giving back, my way of helping others involved, whether they be chair players or able-bodied players, because tennis is a sport that we can do together,” Yousefi said.
Perhaps the biggest curve ball in this story is who Van Brunt found through wheelchair sports.
“About three years ago, I got a phone call,” Van Brunt said. “The woman said she had some information about my adoption.”
Van Brunt had always known he was adopted. He said he never had the desire to seek out his biological parents. But the caller suddenly told him, he had a brother in Northern California.
A quick search on Facebook revealed a surprise.
“We had approximately 25 friends in common,” Van Brunt said.
Michael Applegate, 29, was born with a disability that keeps him from walking. He had played wheelchair sports since he was a child.
“We found out we had played wheelchair basketball in the same leagues together in the mid ’80s, and never knew we were biological brothers,” Van Brunt said. “My mom was in the stands when I was playing, and I never knew it.”
A man, who became disabled two decades ago, found out coincidentally, he was related to a man in a wheelchair since childhood.
“People say, ‘We should be on Oprah or something!” Applegate laughed.
David Van Brunt lost his ability to walk. But with wheelchair tennis, he found a love for a new sport, a connection to a long lost brother, and a network of athletes — life lessons he is determined to turn into his life’s work, to inspire many to see beyond their disabilities.
“Whether they are beginners, or hoping to make it to the Paralympics, we’re here for them … to help them achieve their goals,” Van Brunt said.
Since 2004, TIES has been recognized by the Northern California United States Tennis Association. It now recruits, coaches, and even sends players to compete in national tournaments.
Their next one is the Encino West Coast Classic on May 2.
TIES is hosting an up-down doubles tournament (one person wheelchair, one person standing) in September.
For more information, to join or donate to TIES, click www.tiessports.org.
