On the track Cassie Mitchell battles the clock and the measuring tape. In the lab the accomplished researcher is fighting for new methods of treating brain and spinal cord injuries and illnesses, specifically targeting ALS which is better known as Lou Gherig’s Disease. That research is near and dear to her because in her day-to-day life she confronts the challenges of being a quadriplegic.
To say she’s driven is an understatement.
It’s hard not to root for the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University researcher who is eyeing triple gold at the 2012 Paralympics in London which run from August 29 to September 9 (UPDATE: Cassie finished fourth in all three of her events while posting personal best times in both of her races).
An accomplished athlete who excelled in everything from gymnastics to running to Western events (where she won World Championships) as a child and teen, Mitchell was her class valedictorian at Warner High School in Oklahoma and earned a collegiate track scholarship. Then, shortly after graduation, she suffered an autoimmune reaction that triggered Devics Neuromyelitis Optica, a neurological condition that left her unable to move her legs.
With track no longer a viable option Mitchell attended Oklahoma State on a full academic scholarship where she discovered wheelchair sports while also thriving academically. She was named an All-American in wheelchair basketball, a USA Today Academic All-American, and a Wentz Research Scholar en route to earning a BS in Chemical Engineering.
A 2006 recurrence of her Devics further limited Mitchell’s motor skills, leaving her completely paralyzed from the chest down and with significant impairment to her arms, wrists, and hands as well as permanent double vision.
"It's been tough to be stricken not only once, but twice,” Mitchell told Fox5 Atlanta before leaving for the Paralympics. “You know you think you've adapted one way, in a wheelchair, and then it's like lightning struck again and you know all of a sudden my arms are impaired and wrists.”
That physical setback didn’t prevent her from coming to Atlanta where she earned her PhD in 2009 Biomedical Engineering from Georgia Tech and Emory University in the world-renowned the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering.
After switching to wheelchair rugby from wheelchair basketball as a graduate student, Mitchell picked up yet another sport as a post-doc fellow at Tech when she began competing in paracycling in 2010, winning a national championship just six weeks after taking up the sport which is open to both disabled and able-bodied competitors. In the summer of 2011 Mitchell won two world championship events and a host of other events.
With her eyes on the 2012 Paralympics Mitchell also took up wheelchair track to her athletic repertoire, giving her even greater odds of qualifying for the national team. That ended up being a wise decision as Mitchell was not selected for the paracycling team despite being the world record holder in her event- the 10 mile time trial. Instead Mitchell will gun for gold in three track events in London- the T52 (quadriplegic) 200m and 100m and the F52 discus which will be held on September 1st, 5th, and 7th.
Mitchell has a sign in her office that reads “Never, never, never give up” which she says on her website “serves as a reminder to [her] commitment to overcome challenges and find beauty from pain”. That commitment has been evident in her pursuit of her Paralympic dream as well as in her academic career.
"Cassie's competitive fire has served her just as well in the lab as it has on the track and we are incredibly proud of her accomplishments as both a researcher and an elite athlete,” says Gary May, Dean of the Georgia Tech College of Engineering. “She is an outstanding ambassador for the College of Engineering and we wish her well as she represents our country and Georgia Tech in London. Her indomitable spirit is an inspiration to us all."
You can follow Cassie’s pursuit for gold via the Paralympic website and her official Facebook fan page.
Fox5 Interview with Cassie Mitchell