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High School Swimmers Dive In to Doing Good

Helping a Summit alum who suffered a debilitating spinal cord injury is not a mere handout–it's an investment toward making a better society.

The swim team knows all about winning. In early March, team members broke three school records at the Meet of Champions. Several swimming Hilltoppers ranked among the best high school swimmers in New Jersey. Both the boys' and girls' squads qualified for the state sectional championships, where the boys defeated Chatham and Governor Livingston high schools before finally falling to the eventual winner, Scotch Plains. All of this success deserves applause, but the team's biggest success has little to do with swimming.

In February, the team participated in its annual charity swim-a-thon at the Summit YMCA. The event has raised funds in past years for organizations such as the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and the American Red Cross' Disaster Relief Fund. Veteran swim coach David Pease said the swim-a-thon teaches team members the importance of doing service for the community. Four years ago and each year since, Pease has encouraged team members to "help one of our own": by donating funds raised to the National Transplant Assistance Fund & Catastrophic Injury Program (NTAF) with a specific recipient in mind: 24-year-old Gabriel Chesman.

Gabe, who played for the Summit High soccer and lacrosse teams, graduated in 2004 and moved on to study communications at Drexel University in Philadelphia. In the beginning of his senior year in college, he woke one morning feeling a tingle in his arm. By the time he arrived at the hospital, Gabe had lost all feeling in his body and could barely breathe. Doctors determined that he had suffered a spinal stroke. He was a quadriplegic, paralyzed from the neck down. He could not speak or eat, and he could only breathe with the help of a ventilator. 

What followed were difficult weeks, months, and years. Gabe had to undergo painful and demanding therapy at the Kessler Institute for Rehabiliation in West Orange. He endured numerous surgeries. He still requires full time care from health workers. Not surprisingly, he suffered periodic bouts of anger and sadness over his plight, which were compounded by the reality that his family simply could not–and still cannot–afford the enormous costs required for treatment and care he likely will need for the rest of his life. His mother, Jamie, works full time (the family now lives in Springfield), and his Florida-based father is, Jamie explains, "unable to help." 

There were, however, bright spots: Churches in Summit and neighboring communities stepped up to help raise funds for Gabe's treatment, particularly the Congregation B’nai Jeshurun in Short Hills, to which Gabe and his family belong. Jamie Chesman organizes yearly fund raising events to assist her son. And every now and then, other generous people surprise the Chesmans by taking up the task of raising money to help Gabe.

Such was the case a few weeks ago when the SHS swim team sent $2,109 in checks made out to NTAF for Gabe's benefit to the Chesman home. "It was a wonderful thing," Jamie Chesma said. "It's been four years, after all, it's nice to know that people remember and that they still care."

As much as the Chesmans appreciate the help, it has been difficult sometimes for Gabe to accept the need for it. That has changed to a degree: He said he has established a "new normal" for his life and no longer sees himself as being helpless or as a victim. In fact, he seems to be thriving. 

"Due to the huge response from the community, I wanted to prove that the money they're raising is being put to good use," he said. "I'm not slacking off and I'm trying my hardest to be a normal guy. Yes, 'normal' is relative, but I am working hard to live a good life and to be productive."

Gabe now can sit up in his motorized wheelchair. He has regained the ability to move his left arm, so that he can steer his chair and use computers. He smiles easily and often and is an interesting and engaging conversationalist. Yes, he can talk. Every now and again, he must breathe through a tube attached to his chair, but his speech is fluent and his words reveal a quick wit, Gabe's deep compassion, and his fierce intellect. While he was not able to finish his college degree, he has put what he's learned from his communications major to work in his chosen field. He works on a freelance basis for a small New York public relations firm committed to a niche near and dear to him–corporate social responsibility. 

The job is no handout. It's one he merited through his talent and drive. Gabe usually works as a consultant from home, or rather, from the refurbished garage in the back yard. On occasion, he is driven to his company's Park Avenue office for meetings. As part of his work, he oversees a blog that speaks about issues surrounding corporate altruism and utilizes Facebook and Twitter to network with members of the business community. Now, he is gaining a reputation as an up-and-coming leader in the new and rapidly growing industry of teaching businesses how to use the Internet and social media to serve their communities while remaining profitable. 

"Doing good and doing well... it's become a cliche," Gabe said, "but we do try to teach businesses to focus on the three Ps: People, Planet, and Profit. What could be better than having a job where you're paid basically to work for charities? It's very rewarding on multiple levels."

Gabe no longer sees the donations and the help he sorely needs as handouts. In his eyes, they are investments. Everything he receives to cover the things he needs–home health care workers, a wheelchair-accessible van, medical visits, etc.–is paid forward in his efforts to use his talent and knowhow to help businesses become responsible corporate citizens. This, he says, benefits the greater good and helps all of society. 

None of this surprises Summit High's coach Pease.

"I got to know Gabe when he was in my math class and his sister, Danielle, was on the swim team. He's always had a pretty spunky attitide," he said. "I'm happy to see it's serving him well."

And the lesson isn't lost on Pease's swim team. Captain Dan Byers, a senior at Summit High, said his teammates appreciated both the break from practice and the opportunity to do some good for a Hilltopper alum.

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"We just followed [Coach Pease's] lead," he said. "Everyone gets excited about the swim-a-thon, so we were happy to do it. We feel good about doing our part. It's not about getting credit. It's about helping."

Which is exactly the lesson Pease wanted to teach his students: Helping "is the right thing to do," he said.

If you would like to invest in Gabe Chesman's mission by helping him meet his ongoing expenses for care, you can send donations to 12 Prospect Pl., Springfield, NJ 07081. Make checks payable to NTAF and put "Gabe Chesman" in the memo field. Also, all are welcome to attend the second annual Wine Tasting to Benefit the NTAF Mid-Atlantic Spinal Cord Injury Fund in Gabe's honor will be held April 30 at 7 p.m. at the Congregation B'nai Jeshurun, 1025 S. Orange Ave. in Short Hills. Wine selections are provided by the Wine Library, and the event will include a silent auction and jazz music performed by Dan Rufolo. Gourmet hors d'oeuvres will be served. The minimum donation is $85 in advance and $100 at the door. All contributions are tax deductible. Tickets may be purchased in advance by mail using the aforementioned procedure. RSVP to Jamie.Chesman@gmail.com.

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