NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) – In a split second.
That’s how fast life changed for 33-year-old Mark Raymond Junior.
And how he got the name for his New Orleans gym Split Second Fitness.
WGNO Good Morning New Orleans features reporter Bill Wood says, “it was the Fourth of July, 2016, what happened?”
Raymond says, “I was out on Lake Pontchartrain with a bunch of friends, dove off back of the boat, not paying attention to the tide, dove into a foot and a half of water and broke my neck.”
Bill Wood says, “and here you are.”
Mark Raymond Junior says, “in a split second, my whole life changed and here we are.”
Because Mark became a guy now navigating life in a wheelchair, he became the hope for others with injuries.
Like Jean Dervil.
He had a stroke two years ago.
But after working with Mark and his team at Split Second Fitness, Jean does not need his wheelchair anymore.
Mark talks the talk.
And not long ago, he walked the walk.
For the first time in six years, in a robot suit that made him something of a miracle man.
Bill Wood says, “when we see you walking, what do you want us to see?
Mark Raymond Junior says, “I want people to see the innovation in rehabilitation technology and be inspired.”
Mark knows he’s lucky to be alive.
The rest of us are lucky he’s still here, too.
Mark invites you to his Split Second Foundation’s Show of Love Gala.
It’s Saturday, October 22 at the Contemporary Arts Center in New Orleans.