He’s an athlete with an indomitable spirit. An accident that almost claimed his life left him disabled - but driven.
If you’ve ever felt down or defeated, Mason Barker has a message for you: Stay positive and never give up.
MASON "THE COUNT" BARKER
Even as a boy, Mason stood out. He loved counting and numbers. His family nicknamed him “The Count.”
The Howell native excelled in school. He graduated salutatorian of his high school.
He chose to major in Accounting at Michigan State University. And he was extremely active.
He was a runner and a gymnast. He joined the Michigan State University Triathlon Team without any real swimming background. One of his friends on the team helped him.
His signature move was jumping into a handstand at the finish line.
THE DAY IT ALL CHANGED
After graduating from MSU, he started training for his first IRONMAN competition.
While riding his bike on Round Lake Road north of Lansing on August 18, 2008, his life was changed forever.
He was hit by a car from behind.
"It was just a terrible accident," he recalled.
He spent 6 months in a coma battling a traumatic brain injury. Many didn’t think he’d survive. But he did.
Nearly nine years later, he has defied the odds.
AN IRONMAN AT PHYSICAL THERAPY
“He is like the perfect patient," said Dr. Mandi English, Physical Therapist at Level Eleven Physical Therapy.
"When I started working with Mason three years ago, he was walking with 3 people, and we were moving his left leg for him. Now, I can walk behind him without holding on,” she added.
Dr. Mandi English -- his physical therapist at Level Eleven in Holly -- said his drive to improve is unmatched.
"There's research that shows two years after a head injury, you plateau. Mason's years out and still making progress. So, it speaks volumes for him as an individual,” she said.
He attacks therapy like the athlete his is.
“I've walked 1200 feet today,” said Barker. “That's 4 football fields."
"P-SQUARED" ATTITUDE
When we caught up with the 31-year-old during therapy, he was sporting a T-shirt that was drenched in sweat from his vigorous work-out.
He designed that T-shirt to display his own personal mantra: Believe in the future. Make every day Perfectly Positive. Or P-Squared!
“P-squared is Perfectly Positive. And it's an awesome mindset that you can keep so that you can accomplish anything,” explained Barker.
And what he’s accomplished so far has astounded the naysayers.
“A lot of the medical people said I would never get out of the hospital bed. And then when I got out of the hospital bed, they said I wouldn't walk. And then they said I wouldn't self-care. There was always doubters. And I just had to push them out and keep a P-Squared attitude,” said Barker.
INSPIRING OTHERS
And now he’s taking on a new challenge -- motivational speaking!
"Look at the bright side of the coin," he said, thinking about his message to students who may be considering dropping out of high school or somebody who has lost their job.
His ability to always keep a positive attitude no matter where he is in his rehabilitation journey is a skill he has honed.
You might say he’s done it in a Perfectly Positive way.
His journey to inspire others is why Mason Barker is this week’s Detroit 2020 Person of the Week.
You can also order one of his Perfectly Positive T-shirts there for $20.00.
If you'd like to nominate someone for the Person of the Week, please email Alicia Smith at asmith@wxyz.com.
