[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 129 (Tuesday, July 31, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1110-E1111]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      IN HONOR OF MR. SAM SCHMIDT

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. PETE SESSIONS

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 31, 2018

  Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Sam Schmidt, who 
is a former IndyCar driver and advocate for the disability community.
  On January 6, 2000, Sam Schmidt crashed on a test run in Orlando, 
Florida while practicing for the season-opening Indy Racing League 
event. He endured a massive hit, severing his spine between his third 
and fourth vertebrae. Following the crash, he was placed on a 
respirator for five months, and life sentenced in a wheelchair, but he 
knew he was one of the lucky ones.
  Sam vowed that when he was able to leave the rehabilitation hospital, 
he would not forget the less-privileged patients he had met. Shortly 
thereafter, Sam became a team owner with Rick Peterson, to head Schmidt 
Peterson Motorsports. He started the foundation with a firm belief that 
at end of the day, he would fight to find a cure for paralysis and help 
individuals overcome spinal cord injuries and other neurological 
disorders. He also formed the Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation, with 
the help of several of his closest friends, which is leading the charge 
to find a cure to paralysis by funding scientific research, medical 
treatment, rehabilitation, and technological advances.
  Fast-forward, fifteen years later, when Sam finally began to feel 
like himself normal again, he traded in his wheelchair for a modified 
Corvette that he could drive at Indianapolis Motor Speedway once again. 
The breakthrough was the work of a team of engineers for seven months 
on a special car that many thought couldn't be built, but it turned out 
to be a vehicle that Sam could drive by just moving his head.
  Sam Schmidt is not only a loving husband to his wife Sheila, and 
father to their two children, Savannah and Spencer, but he is 
determined to get back on his feet and is dedicated

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to helping others get out of their wheelchairs and continue to live 
their dreams.
  In honor of his dedication and perseverance, I would like to take 
this opportunity to thank Mr. Sam Schmidt for his tremendous efforts to 
assist the disability community and encourage people to find their 
passion.

                          ____________________