How the NYSMF Got Started
How it all started
If you are new to the Now You See Me Foundation page, or a new friend on my personal page, I want to share my story of why I started this foundation.
In 2012, I was about to be discharged from a month-long stay at the hospital for a spinal cord injury I suffered after being hit by a truck while cycling and training for my second IronMan. An IronMan is an earned title and is awarded to anyone who finishes the IronMan triathlon, consisting of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride, and a 26.2 mile run, all completed in under 17 hours in a single day. The accident left me with a prognosis as a “complete paraplegic,” which meant I was paralyzed from the waist down. I was told that I would never walk again, much less run or cycle. I never felt hopeless, but I was highly annoyed with the hospital’s “psyche” discharge process. Even after the hospital staff heard that I was a triathlete, they didn’t bring anyone in to counsel me that would be able to empathize with a triathlete or for any athlete for that matter. Instead, my psychiatrist called in a wheelchair-bound paraplegic who never cared to learn who I was as a patient. He never asked what an IronMan was and his knowledge on endurance sports were non-existent. He told me he “had heard that there were sports for the physically challenged” or adaptive sports. It infuriated me and made me very sad that there were no resources, classes or at that point organizations for someone like myself, who had experienced such a traumatic experience while training and remained passionate about getting back to an active life.
In 2015, I made it my mission to start a foundation dedicated to “supporting and assisting athletes; primarily cyclists and runners in Texas; who had suffered a traumatic disabling injury while training.” And since I was a spinal cord injury patient, I wanted to financially support spinal cord research as well.
Thank you for taking the time to read my story. To find out how you can support this Foundation, please go to www.nowyoucme.org. The NYSM FoundatIon is a registered
501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Monica Caban, Founder
Now You See Me Foundation
Tri.monica@nowyoucme.org
www.nowyoucme.org
Our Leadership Team
Our all-volunteer staff work hard to make sure your all donations go directly toward our mission and the athletes struggling to rebuild their lives.
Monica Caban, Founder
Christopher Cost, Vice President & Treasurer
Anna Benavides, Secretary
Hector Garcia, Director
Lisa Buchanan, Director
How you Can Help
Thank you for your interest in helping the NYSMF fulfill its mission. How can you help? Please go to our Donate page to learn more.