[042] Courageous former wrestler Hunter Garstin chooses MTSU after accident

MURFREESBORO — Hunter Garstin was once a wrestler at Independence High School in Franklin, Tennessee, but now he is grappling with his toughest opponent to date.

Garstin is preparing to start classes Aug. 28 as a freshman psychology major at MTSU as he continues physical therapy due to an accident he sustained as a high school freshman.

At a 2013 tournament in Huntsville, Garstin sustained a spinal cord injury only about 20 seconds into a wrestling match, resulting in paralysis from the neck down. He expects to use a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

“I think if I keep going and hitting it hard that maybe one day I’ll be walking on a walker or across the room or something, which I would be perfectly OK with,” said Garstin.

The road to high school commencement was interrupted by his injury. Garstin underwent surgery to fuse two vertebrae in his neck and spent a week in the hospital intensive care unit, followed by four months of inpatient and outpatient therapy. He worked at his rehabilitation for eight hours a day with intermittent breaks.

Garstin missed several weeks of school in his sophomore year. He describes his junior year as “two weeks on, two weeks off.” He even went to Switzerland three times for stem-cell therapy. In his senior year, he started driving, which was key to his physical and psychological freedom.

Finally, in May of this year, Hunter Garstin walked across the stage at Independence High and received his diploma. His next challenge will be to obtain his college degree from MTSU.

“It was the smartest choice at the time, and I really liked the campus after going to orientation and seeing everything MTSU had to offer,” said Garstin.

A cousin, a friend and a fourth roommate to be determined will share an off-campus apartment with Garstin as he becomes adjusted to university life. But one thing he won’t be doing is watching wrestling on television.

“Not only is it not really interesting to watch anymore, but it just kind of brings up memories, both good and bad,” he said.

One good memory is the night Garstin was presented with the Kaia Jergenson Courage Award at the Tennessean Sports Awards June 6 at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center in Nashville.

The award is named for a former Lipscomb University basketball player who nearly lost her life to meningitis.

Garstin can use most of his upper body with some limited mobility in his fingers, and he has some feeling in his legs. As he continues with physical therapy, he hopes to improve further and perhaps walk at his college commencement.

“There really is no true prognosis,” he said. “It’s what you make of it and what you put into it.”