SYRACUSE -- Doctors never thought Bob Matousek would ever be riding a bike or even walking again a bike after a motorcycle accident crushed his optic nerve leaving him legally blind.
But he says giving up was never an option. "I had to improvise adapt and move on. I have children and if i don't set an example for them how am I going to expect them to move on in life and keep being positive," he says.
Matousek, an army veteran from Syracuse, stayed positive and after a lengthy rehab he started competing and winning tandem bike races and other athletic events.
Wednesday, he heads out to Colorado Springs to compete in a national competition for blind athletes. "I'm sure I'll see other people who have had challenges as well. I'll root for them. I know they have had challenges as I have had," he says.
Matousek now counsels other disabled veterans at the Syracuse VA. His message: No matter what life throws at you you can never give up hope. "You can either sit home or feel sorry for yourself which I went through or you can pick it up and get on," he says.
