Triumphant Calvin Graduate Looks Forward

Garrett Bazany was accompanied by his best friend, Nolan Coallier, as he started across the stage to get his diploma at the end of the commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 20, at the Calvin College Van Noord Arena.

Many people on campus know Bazany as someone who uses a wheelchair to move from place to place as a result of a trampoline accident when he was 15.

But on graduation day, he used a walker to make his way toward Calvin provost Cheryl Brandsen, who waited to hand him his diploma, and Calvin President Michael Le Roy, who was shaking hands with the new graduates.

Once he got his diploma from Brandsen and then received a big hug from Le Roy, Bazany raised a triumphant fist to a thunderous standing ovation.

“Most people didn’t know that I can use a walker,” said Bazany after the ceremony. “But because I’ve had a normal college experience, I wanted my final walk to be normal.”

Watch Garrett Bazany receive his diploma starting at 2:04:50.

Trampoline tumble

Even years ago, Bazany, who lived in Grand Haven, Mich., woke up in a hospital bed, confused—but only for a moment. As the mental fog lifted, the terrible truth slowly came into focus, written all over his parents’ faces. As doctors and nurses came in and out of the room, checking, rechecking, poking, and prodding, Bazany knew.

He couldn’t move his legs.

Though he was definitely alive—breathing, seeing, hearing, smelling—one thought crept into his mind, dominating all others: My life is over.

Paralyzed from the chest down, he thought everything that had filled his days with joy—skiing, running, jumping, and action sports of any kind—was now part of his past. In fact, it was one of those very things that had put him here. Practicing a double front flip on his family’s trampoline, he came up short and landed on his head.

“God was watching over me,” said Bazany. “It could have been worse. No one was home. But I was able to use my arms, so I called my own ambulance.”

It wasn’t until days later that Bazany learned how severe the accident should have been. His injury, a cervical spine (C7) burst fracture, typically results in full paralysis—not from the chest down, but from the neck down.

So he should not have been able to pull himself to the edge of his trampoline and then dial 911. He would otherwise have simply lain there as his spinal cord swelled, cutting off his ability to breathe.

Start of a new ‘journey’

“After my accident, my life didn’t end,” Bazany said. “In many ways, it began. God started me on a journey I never could have imagined. It has changed me in so many ways and made me who I am today.”

That journey began before he even left the hospital.

“Instead of focusing on the things I couldn’t do, I started to see the things I could do. From that moment on, I have remained positive and focused on my recovery, getting stronger, seeking every adventure, and using my story to make a difference in others’ lives.”

Doctors and nurses would later tell Bazany that his attitude helped him in his recovery.

And his determination inspired other patients to work harder and try to match him. By the end of the summer, ahead of schedule, he was back at Grand Haven High School as a full-time student.

Bazany flourished through the rest of his high school years, and he knew college was the next step. The only question: Where? He was accepted at the big state schools in Michigan he’d imagined himself attending—but decided to apply to one more school at his sister’s insistence.

“She had just transferred to Calvin, and she said I had to at least check it out. It wasn’t at the top of the list, but I decided to give it a shot.”

The right community

He says he made the right choice.

“Calvin did all it can to make things accessible and to give me a full college experience,” said Bazany, now 22.

Calvin built ramps and improved accessibility, allowing him to become one of the first wheelchair students to live in the dorms full-time as a freshman. Campus Safety committed to plowing a path from his dorm to his classrooms early every morning whenever it snowed. And if his car was ever snowed in, they would clear it within minutes.

The Calvin community has also helped Bazany discover his vocational calling. After initially exploring engineering, he eventually decided on a medical career—but not as a doctor. He decided to enroll in the pre-physician assistant (PA) program.

“As a doctor, I wouldn’t be able to get the experience I want with my patients. As a PA, I will have a lot more potential to interact with patients—and have time to spend with my future family.”

With help and recommendations from his Calvin professors, he completed a research position at Michigan State University and received multiple scholarships from Mary Free Bed hospital, a rehabilitation facility in Grand Rapids, Mich.

A life fulfilled

Academic success isn’t the only thing Bazany has achieved while at Calvin. His adventurous spirit has never let him back down from a challenge—and he has yet to meet one he hasn’t conquered.

Climbing the 40-foot wall in the Spoelhof Fieldhouse? Done it. Wakeboarding? That too, complete with jumps off ramps. Skiing? Kayaking? Crowd surfing? Dancing? The Cold Knight Plunge into the freezing Sem Pond? Garrett did it all, and he capped it off last summer with a 12-day road trip to see some of the most beautiful places in the country.

“Nolan and I drove out west to see some of the national parks, just sleeping in the back of my car. Every night, he’d set up beds for us and move everything I couldn’t. During the day, we’d explore some places I never thought I’d experience.”

Coallier said similar interests, a mutual sense of humor, and connections with a range of friends on campus have helped to build their friendship.

“He is just awesome. A huge aspect of his personality is that you can’t hold him back,” said Coallier.

A few weeks ago, Bazany asked if Coallier could be there as he used his walker to cross the stage.“I knew he was pretty comfortable on his walker, but for his peace of mind he asked that I would be there to catch him if something happened,” said Coallier.

At graduation, as they started across the floor, Coallier noticed that his friend’s first few steps were shaky, and he admits, “I was nervous.”

But Bazany quickly began walking with confidence, shuffling his way to receive his diploma and then greet Le Roy.

“Nolan helped to make it happen for me,” he said. “It was a really cool experience. I wasn’t expecting the response I got at all. There was a standing ovation, and people were crying.”

As he now moves into the future, Bazany does so with faith in God and no regrets.

“You can’t look back on the past and hope to change it,” he said. “I have to look forward every day. I have to do the best I can to fulfill the life God has set before me.”

This article first appeared in a different version in Calvin College News & Stories.