MARTINSVILLE – It was a show of small town love for a family of six on a Sunday in Morgan County.
Dozens of people came out to support the Grounds family as they cut the ribbon at their new home in Martinsville, which was adapted for Lucas Grounds.
“It’s quite surreal, I must say,” Lucas said.
In December of 2020, 17-year-old Lucas was paralyzed from the waist down after a motorcycle accident. At the time, Grounds just signed a deal to go pro. It was quickly realized that his home would not be available to him at that time. This is where the community stepped in.
Sunco Construction looked at Grounds’ old home after the accident and realized that renovations to make it accessible to ADA were not feasible. Instead, the construction company offered to build the family a new home.
The new home went down last May and was made possible through fundraising from Sunco Construction, contractors in the community, and neighbors and the racing community.
“One of his biggest challenges in the second house was getting ready every day. As far as he likes, I have to take out his clothes for him because here’s the wardrobe, so now that the closet, as you’ll see, is all down ‘He can roll over to them, open the door, and pull over Lucas’ dad Justin Grounds said, “His clothes are out and so he really doesn’t need anything from us.”
Lucas helped design everything from the cabinets to the floorboards in the family’s new home.
“I’m happy with how everything turned out and I think it looks great. And I don’t think you can tell that to the 17-year-old who designed it,” Lucas said.
It’s Lucas’ idea to make the house a forever home.
“Before you knew about it, I had a joke with him. I was like, ‘Hey, the only one who can mess this up,'” Justin Grounds said with a laugh. “And, ‘Can we Can you stay here until your little sister graduates?”
Lucas spent 61 days at Riley Hospital for Children, undergoing therapy on a daily basis. There he worked with occupational therapist Whitney Kozlowski.
“I worked with Mr. Lucas when he was in the hospital throughout his stay,” Kozlowski said. “So we know each other very well.”
On Sunday, Kozlowski was there to cut the ribbon. Every day, she worked with Lucas for about 90 minutes. She said her “athlete mindset” helped her recover. He has his driving license and is running back.
“It’s great to have him because he taught me everything I needed to know and he taught it so well that I was able to get it done in weeks,” Lucas said.
Lucas now helps as a peer mentor through Skills on Wheels, a research study through IU Health’s Occupational Therapy Program. The teenager will be back on track in the Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) race for the first time since the May 7 accident.
“I still do the same stuff I used to do before. And I don’t know, just to have a good outlook on life and what’s going to happen next – you can’t look back. You always have to see that your what is next.” Happening,” Lucas said.