Thomas E. Smith
Inspirational Paralysis Advocate, Co-founder of The Thomas E. Smith Foundation
Thomas E. Smith
Inspirational Paralysis Advocate, Co-founder of The Thomas E. Smith Foundation
Biography
Thomas Smith is the first person in medical history to be paralyzed three separate times and recover. Growing up in Massachusetts as a rising hockey star, Thomas signed a Junior A hockey contract after high school to best position himself to receive a collegiate scholarship. However, on Aug. 2, 2008, he sustained a paralyzing injury that many thought would end his promising career. After months of rehabilitation at The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, the world’s most comprehensive research center for paralysis, he made a one-in-a-million recovery and was cleared by doctors to return to the ice.
Then on Oct. 1, 2009, it happened again: Thomas sustained a second life-changing injury while playing hockey, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. Doctors said Smith had a better chance of winning the lottery five times in a row than having two completely unrelated paralyzing injuries. On the morning of Jan. 11, 2010, while driving to physical therapy, he was involved in a car accident and was paralyzed for a third time. In just 17 months, Thomas had sustained three separate paralyzing injuries and once more faced the fight of his life.
In pursuit of a new purpose, he co-founded The Thomas E. Smith Foundation, a non-profit volunteer organization that provides emotional and financial assistance to the paralysis community. To date, The Thomas E. Smith Foundation has donated over $450,000 to individual patient sponsorships and paralysis research.
In 2013, he founded The Look-Up Line, ice hockey’s first warning track, and received patents for his invention in both the United States and Canada. In 2015, Smith became the first person with paralysis to cycle the eastern seaboard, biking over 2,100 miles from Boston, Massachusetts to Miami, Florida. He raised $100,000 for the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis as a result of his journey. In 2018, he became the first person who has been paralyzed multiples times to complete the Boston Marathon without the use of a wheelchair. On April 15th, 2024, Thomas completed the Boston Marathon for a sixth time since being paralyzed. Tom currently serves as the President and Co-Founder of his foundation and the Co-Chair: Massachusetts Hockey Safety Committee at Mass Hockey. He resides on the north shore of Boston with is wife Rachael.
Speech Topics
Defying the Odds: Resilience, Purpose & the Power to Begin Again
In this extraordinary and deeply motivating keynote, Thomas Smith shares a story that is as rare as it is powerful. As the first person in medical history to be paralyzed three separate times, and recover, Thomas takes audiences inside a journey marked by sudden loss, relentless uncertainty, and the decision to keep moving forward when the odds said stop. A former rising hockey star, his life changed in an instant, then changed again…and again. Rather than letting adversity define his limits, Thomas rebuilt his purpose—founding a nonprofit that supports the paralysis community, inventing a patented hockey safety innovation, and completing feats once thought impossible, including multiple Boston Marathons and a 2,100-mile cycling journey. With honesty, humility, and hard-earned insight, Thomas shows that resilience is not about heroic moments, but about choosing to begin again, every single day.
Audiences will learn:
- What true resilience looks like when setbacks are repeated, unexpected, and life-altering.
- How purpose, adaptability, and mindset can turn adversity into forward momentum.
- Why progress isn’t about returning to who you were, but discovering who you can become.
Creating a Winning Mindset: How to Perform When Everything Is on the Line
In this powerful and perspective-shifting keynote, Thomas Smith challenges audiences to rethink what a “winning mindset” really means. As the only person in medical history to be paralyzed three separate times and recover, Thomas knows firsthand that success is not about avoiding setbacks—it’s about how you respond when the plan collapses. Drawing from his experiences as a competitive athlete, a patient fighting to walk again, an inventor, and a nonprofit leader, he breaks down the mental habits that allowed him to keep moving forward when the odds were overwhelming. Thomas shows how discipline, adaptability, and belief can be trained like any other skill, and why mindset determines performance long before results appear. This keynote delivers a practical, motivating framework for individuals and teams looking to perform at their best under pressure and uncertainty.
Audiences will learn:
- How to build a resilient, winning mindset when circumstances are unpredictable or unfair.
- Why focusing on controllables—effort, preparation, and attitude—drives long-term success.
- How to reframe setbacks as fuel for growth, performance, and renewed purpose.
Leading Through Action: Turning Purpose into Impact
In this compelling keynote, Thomas Smith shows that leadership isn’t defined by titles or words, it’s proven through action. After surviving three separate paralyzing injuries in just 17 months, Thomas could have stepped back from ambition altogether. Instead, he chose to lead by doing, rebuilding his body, founding a nonprofit that supports the paralysis community, inventing a patented hockey safety innovation, and completing feats once thought impossible, including multiple Boston Marathons. Through his journey as an athlete, innovator, and nonprofit leader, Thomas demonstrates how credibility, trust, and influence are earned through consistent action, especially when circumstances are difficult. This keynote challenges audiences to move from intention to execution and to lead in ways others can see, feel, and follow.
Audiences will learn:
- Why leadership is built through everyday actions, not titles or intentions.
- How taking responsibility and initiative inspires trust and motivates others.
- How purpose-driven action can create lasting impact, even in the face of adversity.
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