Hermes Castro’s life changed forever in 2006. An avid cyclist and lover of all sports, Castro had just finished a triathlon at Lake Arrowhead and had begun training for his next one. Riding his bike 20 miles from his home in Oceanside to Fallbrook, where he worked as a personal trainer, was one of the many ways Castro prepared himself for triathlons.

On Sept. 1 around 9 a.m., he was riding north on Highway 76 in a particular hurry because he had a meeting with a client at 10 a.m. He was in such a rush that he forgot to bring water and his helmet.

He was riding through Bonsall when he noticed a green Ford Ranger in the oncoming lane swerve to the left. Castro swerved to his right to avoid the truck, but the truck was going about 50 mph and it was too late. The drunken driver swerved into the bike lane and hit Castro head-on, dislocating his right shoulder, breaking both his legs and severely damaging his spinal cord while carrying him about 100 feet. The driver went on to hit 3 parked cars in a nearby parking lot.

“All I saw was the truck coming, then a cloud of dust,” Castro said.

Because of the adrenaline rush, the only pain he felt was when paramedics moved him, but that was only his upper body. He was paralyzed from the waist down. He also suffered a stroke due to torn and clogged arteries. Castro was airlifted to Palomar Hospital in Escondido, where he lay in recovery for a month. Doctors said the impact of the truck’s roof and windshield probably should have broken his spine, but he was in such great physical shape that he suffered only minor damage compared to what somebody else in that situation may have suffered.

Castro’s stay in the hospital was a fog of morphine, loved ones, and Steve Irwin. His accident happened around the time of Irwin’s death, and the TV in his hospital room clouded his dreams with crocodiles and kangaroos. He awoke a few times thinking he was in Africa, or in Australia with kangaroos hopping on the roof.

The first people Castro saw standing over his hospital bed were his pastor, Phil Tukua, and his wife, Sara, who assured him that he would be taken good care of, and everything would be alright. Every time he opened his eyes, there was a new person to comfort him. Friends would joke around with him and give him a few pumps of morphine before they left. Because so many people were constantly visiting Castro, he was given his own suite at the hospital.

The drunken driver recovered in the same hospital but was discharged earlier than Castro. Friends asked if they should confront the man, but Hermes did not feel the need to instill fear or seek revenge. The damage had already been done and there was no point in dwelling in the past; it was better to move on.

The recovery process was slow and Castro hates lying around. He lost weight and strength in the hospital and wanted to exercise. The accident left him a paraplegic, but he was determined to build his strength back up and walk again.

“I asked what I could still do, not what I couldn’t do,” said Castro.

He began working on strengthening and redeveloping his upper body. During physical therapy, he saw a poster of a paraplegic woman on a mono-ski, and was determined to do it too. He found a trip leaving the following week and decided to go. His physical therapists advised against it because his legs were still broken, but Castro received permission from his doctor, and just four months after his debilitating accident, he was mono-skiing in Colorado.

At 10 years old, Castro moved from Michoacan, Mexico to San Diego with his family in the summer of 1985. He was an illegal immigrant at the time of the accident, but like many Mexican natives, had been trying for years to get his U.S. citizenship. After 9/11, he knew it would be much more difficult to become a citizen, so he married Sara in 2002 and began the process. After the accident, his lawyers expedited the process for Castro, and he finally became a U.S. citizen.

His citizenship gave him the opportunity to attend college. Castro was excited to hear that the California Department of Rehabilitation pays for disabled persons to pursue higher education. Castro began studying at San Diego Mesa College in the fall of 2008. He plans to transfer to San Diego State University, majoring in geology with an emphasis on hydrology.

Castro took geology his first semester at Mesa, and his professor offered extra credit to students who attended a presentation on campus, featuring British explorer, environmentalist and motivational speaker Sir Robert Swan. Swan is the only man ever to walk both the North and South Poles and also discovered the hole in the ozone layer. Castro attended the presentation and was inspired by Swan’s adventures and passion for environmental conservation.

Following the presentation, Swan approached Castro and asked him what his story was. Castro spoke about his tragic accident, but told Swan he believed in his mission to conserve the Antarctic and that if he had his legs back, he would love to embark on one of his expeditions. Swan was moved by his story, and asked Castro to join his 2041 Expedition to Antarctica in March 2009 for two weeks. Castro was so overwhelmed he began to cry.

Swan began annual trips to Antarctica in 2003. He brings students, teachers, sustainability experts, business leaders, corporations, CEO’s, and entrepreneurs from several nations with him. During the expeditions, Swan educates his groups about environmental conservation, renewable energy, the effects of global warming, and the beauty of Antarctica.

The expeditions are titled “2041” because in that year the Antarctic Treaty will be open to amendment and modification, which will potentially subject the continent to drilling and exploration for resources. Swan’s mission is to prevent the continent’s exploitation by educating the world about the treaty, so that preservation will be extended in the future.

Castro held fundraisers on campus with assistance from Mesa College President Rita Cepeda to help pay for the expedition, transportation and equipment. With help from a rock climbing wall, a 3-on-3 basketball game and Mt. Mike’s Pizza, Castro was on his way to Argentina, where he boarded a vessel the Ioffee, a scientific vessel built to endure category 10 storms.

During the expedition, Castro had three people assigned to his constant care known as “Team Castro.” They included his wife, Sara, Darren Allen, a firefighter and paramedic, and Jesse “Bad-Ass” Baker, a student dedicated to spreading the message about environmental conservation. Though there were concerns about liability and Castro’s safety, he was able to leave the Ioffee with the help of Team Castro and join the rest of the crew, possibly becoming the first paraplegic to explore Antarctica. The crew carried him to the top of Paradise Bay on a sled, where he proudly displayed a San Diego Mesa College flag before sledding down.

“It’s a feeling that I can’t describe,” said Castro. “I’ll never look at a map the same way again.”

While on the continent, Castro was able to see the education base built by Swan built on King George Island, called the “E-Base.” Swan cleared mass amounts of trash and debris left by previous explorers and constructed the E-Base to run entirely on natural energy, 365 days a year. The E-Base features warm water and Internet access provided exclusively by solar and wind power.

After seeing the beauty and wildlife of Antarctica, Castro is on a mission to challenge everybody to get motivated to set goals and invest more effort in caring for the environment. In late September, Castro was invited to speak at the Breaking The Color Barriers In The Great Outdoors conference. It was held in Atlanta and focused on overcoming stereotypes and the involvement of minorities in environmental conservation and appreciation for the outdoors. Castro told his story and encouraged the crowd to reduce their carbon footprints by adopting a more “green” way of life.

“If I can navigate some of the world’s most inhospitable territory without use of my legs,” Castro said. “You can turn off the light and put your cans in a recycling bin.”

Castro continues to train vigorously with hope of regaining the use of his legs. He has made progress using a hand-cycle to ride the San Luis Rey Trail. He also attends private rehabilitation therapy at Project Walk Spinal Cord Injury Center in Carlsbad. His legs have become strong enough to pedal a spinning bike in his house for about an hour everyday.

“I’ve gotten involved in a lot of things and I’m always looking for something new,” said Castro. “I’m thinking about training for the Paralympics, but those guys are so tough. I’ve also been looking into a paraplegic sailing team called Shake A Leg, to see where takes me.”

Castro says the accident, now over 3 years ago, was one of the worst things ever to happen to him, but it also opened many doors. He now has sponsors, more support than ever, and is continually presented with more opportunities than ever before; the world is his oyster. And as for walking again someday, Castro is working on it with a smile, because he’s confident it will happen.