Philadelphia Navy veteran, decorated wheelchair athlete, honored by historic disability organization
Distinguished Navy veteran, Edwin Dunfee, is a gold medal winner who has overcome serious challenges and now he's being awarded as a game-changer.
Dunfee, 66, has won all kinds of medals as a competitive wheelchair athlete.
"It was tough. It was real tough. But I never gave up. But I was still scared," Dunfee said.
He had a massive heart attack in 2016 that led to a coma, sepsis and eventually having both legs amputated.
"When I came out of the coma, I was paralyzed. I couldn't move anything," Dunfee said. "I never even missed legs. I was so grateful just to survive what I went through because I wasn't supposed to."
He says it's been a long and difficult recovery but this distinguished Navy veteran is determined.
"I'm not giving up. You know, I mean, I had to relearn everything," Dunfee said.
He credits much of his new lease on life to the Inglis Apartments at Elmwood. An affordable housing community designed for individuals with disabilities. The accessibility is something he didn't have before
"I couldn't reach the sink to get water. The wheelchair wouldn't go in the bathroom. It was too big to go in the bathroom. So I had to crawl all over the place," Dunfee said.
Now those dark days are behind him and his life is dedicated to wheelchair sports and inspiring others for that he's being honored as the 2025 Inglis BASH Game Changer at their annual BASH on April 10.
"I don't even think I'm disabled anymore," Dunfee said.
This game changer says it's all about finding ways to turn hardships into accomplishments.
"Never give up. Just keep pushing. It gets better," Dunfee said.
