DETERMINATION KEY TO SUCCESS FOR SEAN BURNS

In the pursuit of athletic success, 13 year old Sean Burns is forced to work a little harder than most teenagers.  The Weddington Middle School seventh grader enjoys basketball, swimming, archery, track and field.  He enjoys school, hanging out with friends and watching television.  By now you may be asking yourself what makes Sean different from the tens of thousands of other South Charlotte area teenagers?  Easy, it’s his determination to overcome some very large obstacles in his pursuit of success.

Sean lives his life in a wheelchair after inflammation of the spinal chord at 7 months of age led to paralysis. Sean suffered from Transverse Myelitis.  This is a neurologic syndrome caused by inflammation of the spinal cord. TM is uncommon but not rare. Conservative estimates of incidence per year vary from 1 to 5 per million people. 

TM is a demyelinating (loss of the fatty tissue around the nerves) disorder of the spinal cord. It may occur alone or in combination with demyelination in other parts of the nervous system. Onset of the disorder is sudden.  Symptoms may include low back pain, spinal cord dysfunction, muscle spasms, a general feeling of discomfort, headache, loss of appetite, and numbness or tingling in the legs. Transverse myelitis may be caused by viral infections, spinal cord injuries, immune reactions, or insufficient blood flow through the blood vessels in the spinal cord.

Sean’s parents, Mike and Katie Burns encourage their son to be active at an early age,  He first picked up a basketball at age five.  He is currently a member of the nationally ranked Charlotte Rolling Bobcats JV and Prep basketball teams. The Bobcats travel across the country competing in basketball tournaments and are recognized as one of the best teams around. 

“I really enjoy playing basketball,” Sean said. “My teammates are a lot of fun to be around.  It’s great to travel across the country playing basketball.”

Sean is quick to say the best part of his game is passing the basketball. He relies on his court vision to find the open teammate.  In wheelchair basketball, players work within the rules to advance the basketball.

The rules of wheelchair basketball are similar to those governing running basketball. Appropriate additions and deletions have been made to accommodate the differences in the game of wheelchair basketball from running basketball, including consideration for the mechanics of wheelchair locomotion and the necessity to play the game from a sitting, rather than a standing position.

The player may push on the wheels of the wheelchair no more than twice, before dribbling, passing or shooting the ball. Three pushes on the wheels of the wheelchair, including pivot movements, constitutes a traveling violation.

Sean is also a big fan of Chris Paul and the New Orleans Hornets of the National Basketball Association. Any chance he gets, he tunes into ESPN for basketball and he loves to keep statistics for each player.  The Atlanta Braves are his favorite baseball team.

Sean is a determined young man; nothing seems to hold him back.  His pursuit of success in sports is something to be proud of.  With his determination and drive, Sean is sure to achieve all of his hopes and dreams!