In October of 1993, 18-year-old Mark Zupan was flung from his friend's pickup truck into a canal beneath a highway in South Florida. To keep from drowning, Zupan clung to a branch for 14 hours before being rescued. He was told he would never walk again.
Now, Zupan is competing around the world as captain of the United States Quadriplegic Rugby Team, signing copies of his newly published novel and partying with the guys from MTV's "Jackass."
Zupan's notoriety came largely because of his dominant part in the award-winning documentary "Murderball," which was shown this past Saturday as part of the second annual disABILITIES Film Festival and Speaker Series, hosted by The Museum of disability History and People Inc. at the Market Arcade Theatre.
Zupan, who lived in East Amherst for some years during his childhood, was the featured guest speaker.
"We try to preserve the history of disability and create awareness as well as social acceptance," said Reid Dunlavey, a research specialist for the Museum of disABILITY History, and adjunct professor at Buffalo State College.
"This has definitely been an awesome turnout," Dunlavey added. "When we saw the line out the door, it was a little overwhelming."
Directed by Henry Alex Rubin and Dana Adam Shapiro, "Murderball" follows Zupan and the rest of the USA Quad Rugby Team as they train for the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece. The sport allows full wheelchair contact, resulting in massive collisions that often overturn the athletes' armored chariots.
Although the sport itself is highly entertaining, it is only a fraction of what makes the film so appealing.
As Zupan puts it, the film captures "true emotion," revealing feelings that transcend the realm of sports or even disability.
"It's one of my favorite movies," said Annie Bergman, a ski technician for the Buffalo area. "It's really exciting and inspirational at the same time."
Following the film's conclusion, Zupan spoke to the audience that included many people with their own disabilities.
With a sign language interpreter by his side, the tattooed, carved-out-of-wood athlete told his nightmarish story of injury in grave detail.
"I remember looking down at my legs and thinking they looked awkward - I wasn't sure if they were asleep. I didn't think I'd broken my neck though because I thought that would've killed me."
Zupan also sought to straighten the many misconceptions people have about quadriplegics, a major one being that they cannot move anything from the neck down when in fact the condition simply refers to impairment in all four limbs.
He could not stress enough how much he enjoys being treated "normal" because so many able-bodied people inherently treat him with unnecessary sympathy.
Even with the painful subject matter, Zupan kept the talk light, incorporating tons of humorous anecdotes that often involved the guys from "Jackass" or other celebrities.
Similar to "Murderball," Zupan's talk focused a great deal on the recovery process, explaining how returning home for the first time after months in rehab is actually a frightening and depressing time. The individual feels lost without the regiment of hospital life and the reality of the situation comes crashing down.
"Life's not necessarily easy. Everyone has a wheelchair whether it is visible or not. If you don't stop and realize everything you have, life will pass you by," he said.
After his presentation, Zupan graciously greeted audience members and signed copies of his recently published novel "GIMP: When Life Deals You a Crappy Hand, You Can Fold - or You Can Play."
The Museum of disABILITY is located at 1291 North Forest Rd. in Williamsville. The film festival events are $2 for general public and free with a student ID.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
