My Why: Aimee Hofmann
On Sunday, November 5, 2023, Team Reeve will take on the TCS New York City Marathon! 2022 was a record-breaking year for Team Reeve NYC, raising over $565,000 for paralysis research! We want to continue the momentum for 2023!
An artist, business owner and mother, Aimee Hofmann continues to build on her many accomplishments. In November, she will add a second marathon to the list when she handcycles the TCS New York City Marathon as part of Team Reeve with her husband and brother at her side.
“My motivation is knowing that I am raising money for my future and that of everyone else living with paralysis,” says Hofmann. “There is an amazing sense of accomplishment and comradery, and I’m excited to be part of making hope possible for all of us living with paralysis.”
Hofmann’s husband, Daniel, joined Team Reeve in 2017 and raised $17,000 running the New York City marathon with a friend. Four years later, Hofmann, her brother Alex Chan, and 13 other friends and family members decided to join him. Together they raised nearly $54,000 for Team Reeve at the 2021 Bank of America Chicago Marathon.
“I didn’t want to be left on the sideline. I wanted to do something more tangible. I wanted to be involved,” says Hofmann, who purchased her first handcycle in early 2021. “My family knew my zest for life and how active I was during my life before paralysis. I know they would love to see me walk again and be physically free. Raising money for paralysis research will help us get to that goal.”
Hofmann’s experience with paralysis is somewhat unique. In 2006 at 29, she
“At first, I didn’t want anything to do with the disability community because I didn’t identify with it. But after meeting incredible people, I’ve realized that they’ve gone through the same journey that I’ve been on,” says Hofmann. “You need to give yourself time to grieve and heal physically and emotionally. When you experience a life-change event like this, everyone tries to throw things at you all at once. You need to do self-reflective work before you can start the next steps.”
Now she is determined not to let paralysis stop her from achieving her dreams.
“Over the years, I’ve realized a wheelchair is a tool, not something that defines me. It is used to navigate the world, and it gave me the freedom to do so. Once I was open to finding community again, the Reeve Foundation became a huge part in my next step to meet others who motivated me.”
The secret to her success? She believes in being open to the possibilities.
“If you take the pressure off yourself, everything else will fall into place,” says Hofmann. “You have to work on changing your mindset. You are still the same person with the same dreams. The new you is stronger because of what you’ve been through.”
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For Hofmann, those dreams included becoming a mother and pursuing the passion for art she discovered in a therapeutic art program she participated in during her recovery.
“I started painting from my hospital bed and felt a sense of peace wash over me. It was the first time I knew that joy was possible again,” says Hofmann, who uses her wheelchair as a tool to create abstract paintings. Now she’s turned her art into a successful business, selling her impressive works to Amazon, J.P. Morgan Chase, Burke Rehabilitation Hospital in New York and other large organizations.
“Somehow, we all end up where we are meant to be, and everything comes full circle. You need to be open to whatever comes your way,” says Hofmann. “Once you reach that point, you never know what will happen. Maybe you’ll want to try handcycling or something else. You don’t need to be the next Paralympian; you just need to try something that brings you happiness.”