The memoir is intended to give advice and inspiration to young people. There, the arc of his original narrative took a violent plot turn with unexpected results, including that his popularity at school actually grew after the accident as everyone felt they knew his tragic story while Poppen himself struggled to accept his new identity. He was helicoptered to the hospital, without the love or comfort of his parents who were miles away. Athletically gifted since childhood, Poppen was simply horsing around and wrestling with a friend at a Christian camp at Lake Hume in California when a freak accident occurred and rendered him paralyzed for life. Tragedy on the Mountain: A Quadriplegic’s Journey from Paralysis to Paralympics is his first book, a memoir in the inspirational athlete genre, but of course with the twist that Poppen had never imagined himself competing for his country as an athlete in a wheelchair. Wheelchair Rugby Team to document their activities in Murderball, because he has since added the titles “author,” “motivational speaker,” “teacher” and “rehabilitation counsellor” to the list of his athletic achievements, which includes competition in two Paralympic Games in two different sport categories (Wheelchair Rugby and Wheelchair Tennis). Perhaps Brent Poppen became aware of the power of his own personal narrative after filmmakers followed his U.S.

Above: Priscila Uppal at the Athletic Centre in Olympic Park, one of a sold-out 80,000-strong crowd awaiting the evening’s Paralympic events.

Tragedy on the Mountain by Brent Poppen