October 11, 2012
Back in the swim: Will, determination help Theroux ’89 overcome near-paralyzing accident
BY MIKE SCANDURA
In the days following September 23, 2002, Trent Theroux ’89 spent hours reflecting on how he could recover from a near-paralyzing accident.
A four-year swimmer at PC, Theroux was kayaking that day in Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay. A speedboat plowed into him. The propeller severed the major muscles in the left side of his back and carved out five bones in his spinal column.
“I remember my feelings as if they were yesterday,” said Theroux, who specialized in the backstroke. “Ten years have gone by in a blink. I remember being in the water, the hospital, and the rehabilitation process.
“I convinced myself as I moved through everything on my wish list that I could do the next one. Once I got to the point of walking I said, ‘I can do this, and now I can do the next one.’ Once I could climb a flight of stairs I said, ‘Let’s do the next one.’”
Walking and climbing stairs is one thing. What the Barrington, R.I., resident has done since completing his rehabilitation is another — well beyond the realm of a wish list.
Since 2004, he has accomplished the following: competed in two Ironman triathlons; run in seven marathons; trained five days a week at two local swim clubs; and created and participated in “Back to Block 2012” on September 8. He swam from Point Judith to Block Island — approximately 13 miles — to raise more than $40,000 for RISE Against Paralysis.
Theroux’s determination throughout his rehabilitation and training was relentless but grueling.
“There were opposing forces within me,” said Theroux, a PC accountancy graduate who is the director of finance for an engineering firm and an adjunct professor of graduate studies at Johnson & Wales University. “My mind wanted to achieve something, but my body physically told me to hold back the reins. My mind was soaring to where I wanted to go, but it took a long time before my body would let me go.”
A positive influence throughout his rehab and training was his wife, Jennifer. “She was extraordinarily supportive,” he said.
Determined demeanor
Those close to Theroux aren’t surprised by his accomplishments.
“He’s super-motivated to do what he can do to help people based on what he’s been through,” said John O’Neill, PC men’s and women’s swimming and diving head coach. “You see it in his eyes when you look at him.
“He sets goals for himself and has gone right through them. It makes sense in the bigger picture. He willed himself to return to health and be able to accomplish things athletically.
“I can’t say enough about his willpower,” continued O’Neill. “You combine that with the support of his family and there really isn’t a limit to what an athlete can accomplish. The lofty goals he set can be a powerful motivator.”
Jay Holbrook ’89, a teammate of Theroux’s, saw something during their PC years that convinced him Theroux could overcome any obstacle.
“Trent’s always been somebody of exceptional talent,” he said. “The best of the best compete against themselves in terms of how they achieve their ultimate potential. It doesn’t surprise me that Trent’s been a successful individual and has been able to overcome the obstacles placed in front of him.
“He’s always loved and lived life to the fullest. When he gets passionate about something, he attacks it with everything he has.”
Theroux remains passionate about his PC years, particularly the relationships he maintains with O’Neill and swim teammates. The boating accident only served to heighten his perspective.
“The accident put so much of my life into focus,” he said. “It gave me more appreciation of life than I would have had without it.”
Mike Scandura of Riverside, R.I., is a senior contributor to the magazine.
[pc_callout url=”https://www.flickr.com/photos/50926066@N06/sets/72157631692027840/with/8054294269″]More photos of Trent Theroux ’89[/pc_callout]
