Rolling
and Bowling
TO SUCCESS
By James Combs
He may be a quadriplegic who
is confined to a wheelchair and depends on a
ventilator to breathe, but 26-year-old Leesburg
resident Bill Miller lives his life to the fullest.
In fact, the 1994 Leesburg High School graduate
went bowling on April 26 at Spanish Springs
Lanes in The Villages.
“I try to bowl as often
as possible,” said Bill, who had a high
score of 137 on that particular day. “It’s
a lot of fun for somebody who is completely
paralyzed from the neck down.”
In Aug. 1997, Bill, then a senior
at the University of Florida, tripped in his
bedroom, dislocating two vertebrae and severely
bruising his spinal cord. He is now a C- 1,
2, much like actor Christopher Reeve. But, the
avid Florida Gator fan doesn’t wallow
in self-pity. While Bill no longer has use of
his arms or legs, he still has his heart and
brain, which are the best parts about him. “Being
quadriplegic is not really that big of a deal,”
Bill said. “The accident has given me
lots of opportunities.”
One of those opportunities is
bowling, a sport Bill can participate in thanks
to retired engineer and Leesburg resident Claude
Giguere. Two years ago, Claude & Bill co-invented
a ramp-style apparatus that attaches to the
footrests of Bill’s wheelchair. Once the
ball is placed on the top of the ramp, Bill
moves his wheelchair toward the lane by puffing
on a device. When he stops, the bowling ball
moves down the ramp and toward the pins. “It
completely depends on the skill of the driver.”
Bill said. “It also saves money on bowling
shoes.”
Bill, whose high game is 153,
bowls as often as possible. A group of quadriplegic
friends called the “Quad Squad”
often bowl with him. Bill, Claude and Vince
Tifer, a retired businessman from Tampa, formed
the MGT Corporation in hopes of getting the
device to market so wheelchair users around
the country can utilize it. “We’ll
have a website soon,” Bill said. “Keep
an eye out for www.mgtcorp.com.”
In the meantime, you can checkout
Bill’s personal website, www.lookmomnohands.net,
which he maintains with a voice-operated computer
that he calls Max. He is also halfway finished
with completing a book. And, the Chicago native
is a die-hard fan of the Chicago Bears and Chicago
Cubs.
The Bears now have 5 Gators on
their team, and at the time of this interview
the Cubs are in first place.
“Life is good,” says
a smiling Bill.
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