What actually happened to the diving coach Cliff Devries? Read below to know about his accident as well as the paralysis incident.
Cliff Devries is a diving coach who has been coaching at RIT for well over 15 years now.
During his tenure as a diving coach at RIT, Cliff has coached eight All-Americans and several other talented divers.
As a result of his incredible works, Devries was awarded the prestigious Richard E in 2018.
Once an Olympic’s dreamer himself, Devries was limited to coaching only after a tragic incident happened to the diver.
As his story is being shared worldwide in a well made short documentary, the public has come to know his present condition and his massive contribution to the field.
As he keeps on getting the exposure that he deserves, here is everything you need to know about Cliff Devries and his story.
What Happened To Cliff Devries? Diving Accident Details
Discussing his accident, Cliff Devries suffered from a stiff shoulder when he fell badly in the pool several times while trying difficult moves.
As an ambitious diver who dreamt of the top, Devries would often try several difficult moves which would eventually land him in a bad posture in the pool.
The young Cliff did this several times until he noticed that his shoulder had become stiff and it was hard for him to move it swiftly.
Eventually, it got stiffer and it became hard for Cliff to even do his perfected moves during his dives.
Following the difficult time, he decided to get an MRI done. That is when he found about his brain tumour.
Cliff Devries Story & Tumor: How Did He Get Paralyzed?
Cliff Devries got paralyzed as a result of complications that occurred during his surgery of the 6-inch long tumor.
When he did his MRI test, the doctor told him about a big tumour that was growing just below his brain stem around the spine.
Explaining the story, Devries suffered from a stiff shoulder during his diving practises and was diagnosed with a brain tumour upon test.
Cliff revealed that during the process of his surgery, the machines suddenly went off which resulted in a massive complexity.
The doctors were not able to do the work properly and the surgery turned out to be a bad one.
He even says that the doctor had thought of him to be in a wheelchair for his whole life when the surgery process had eventually ended after 13 hours.
As result, he suffered from paralysis on the right side of his body but that couldn’t stop him from being linked to the sport that he loved.
When he visited the RIT, his college, to watch the diving practice, the higher-ups offered him the job of the diving coach which was vacant at that time.
Since then, Cliff Devries has been working as the diving coach of RIT and is a well-respected personality.
Cliff Devries Wikipedia: Find His Age And Wife Details
The diving coach Cliff Devries’ age is believed to be around 48 years old.
In the documentary, Devries reveals his diagnosis of the tumor in 1995 when he was 21 years old.
Apparently, Cliff was born on October 30, 1973.
Cliff Devries’ Wikipedia bio is not available at the time of writing.
Winding up with information about his marriage life, Cliff Devries is married to his wife Stephanie.
Devries and his wife have a daughter together and she is named Grace. Cliff also coaches his daughter in a ‘learn to dive’ class.