With Harvard Law, Wrestling Hall ahead, there's no stopping Cathedral Prep grad Ian Malesiewski

Courage is a word that might have been used to describe Ian Malesiewski at some point during his promising career as a wrestler and football player.

After a devastating wrestling injury left him as a quadriplegic in 2016, Malesiewski has had to reach deep to find types of courage that he never thought he would need.

The courage in his mind to accept his new, terrifying circumstances as a paralyzed 16-year-old kid, defy expectations and, as his mother said, “fight for his future.”

The courage in his heart to seek the positive side to every situation and not let a freak accident that almost took his life destroy his outlook going forward.

The courage of his convictions to use what happened to him to help people through advocacy for those with disabilities.

Malesiewski, a 22-year-old North East native, will be honored by the Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum on Sunday when he receives the Medal of Courage.

“It was completely out of left field," Malesiewski said of the award. "I was working on my laptop when I received a call from a random number and picked up. I didn't even know what to say. Once it set in and I looked into the award, I realized it was a huge honor. I'm grateful they picked me.”

Lee Roy Smith, executive director of the Hall of Fame, sent Malesiewski a follow-up letter that read in part, “This award acknowledges that your life was significant and you are leaving behind a benchmark example and legacy. You will have a special place in wrestling history and that place is the National Wrestling Hall of Fame (in) Stillwater, Oklahoma.”

The day that changed his life

Malesiewski was a rising star at Cathedral Preparatory School in both wrestling and football. His life changed forever on June 3, 2016. He was competing in a qualifier for the U.S. World Team in the UWW Cadet Greco Roman Nationals in Akron, Ohio, when a wrestler's worst nightmare became reality.

During a wrestling move, Malesiewski hit the mat head-first while his opponent landed on him. He suffered a fractured C4 vertebrae in the upper spine and neck area, leaving him paralyzed from the chest down with limited use of his arms and hands.

Soon after his injury, Malesiewski had to face the reality that his life had irreversibly changed, and that any hope of wrestling or playing football again had ended.

Yet within hours of finding out the seriousness of his injury, Malesiewski spent his time trying to comfort those around him instead of wallowing in despair.

Former Cathedral Prep football coach Mike Mischler and current Prep coach Mike Krahe were among the first non-family members to visit Malesiewski at the hospital, where his mother, Halli Reid, and father, T.J. Malesiewski, had rushed.

“He asked his parents straight out if he was ever going to walk again. After that, he was the same old Ian,” Mischler said. “He was cracking jokes with his family and the nurses and doctors. He wanted everyone to feel better about the situation, and that's just him. He has a remarkable personality that, yes, he changed physically, but he had the same attitude on life that he's capable of doing anything.”

'I can be anything'

Malesiewski will have a busy few months in front of him after accepting the award. Later this spring, he will graduate from the University of Miami with a bachelor's degree in neuroscience and three minors in chemistry, philosophy and public health. He has a 4.0 grade-point average.

After returning home for the second annual Be A Dog Golf Tournament in July, Malesiewski will move to Boston to attend Harvard Law School.

“It was a lot of adjustments after his injury, and at the time I didn't know how successful he'd be this quickly, but he has been amazing," said Malesiewski's brother, Adam, who is a student at Kent State University. "Our family adjusted a lot, especially him going to Miami, which has been a huge deal."

The largest adjustment was made by Ian Malesiewski's mother. She is compensated by the state of Pennsylvania to help her son in his day-to-day life, and she moved to Miami to assist him. Watching her son thrive while facing overwhelming adversity has been a moving experience for her.

“Imagine any normal 15- or 16-year-old going from a standout athlete to riding around in a wheelchair and how they might handle things,” said Reid. “He took the challenge head on. He wasn't embarrassed or shy. He kept working out four days a week and continued his education with normal goals. It has been really interesting to watch him grow up and fight for his future. It really is inspiring.”

Malesiewski studied neuroscience at Miami, which led him to understand more about his injury and what was going on in his body. It was almost a cathartic way to deal with the situation while also learning how to help others dealing with similar disabilities.

“I originally thought I would go to medical school and be a neurologist after studying spinal injuries and learning about the nervous system. It was interesting to learn about the molecular mechanisms of the spinal cord and brain after going through personal trials and tribulations,” Malesiewski said. “About halfway through my junior year, I was doing a lot of advocacy work for the disabled community and I had a revelation.”

That revelation, to try to make an impact through the legal system, came late in the school year. The timing didn't seem to bother Malesiewski.

“When Ian told me he wanted to go to law school, I think he had one month at most to study for the LSATs (Law School Admission Test) before summer break,” Reid said. “He studied as much as he could, but most law students take months or even a year to study for that test. When he got the results back, he smiled and said he could probably go to any law school he wanted to.

“He's such a smart, driven kid that doing very well on the LSATs is just another goal that he reached in a short amount of time.”

Malesiewski proudly posted his acceptance letter to Harvard Law School on social media in January. The letter stated, “Out of thousands of applicants, you were selected for your extraordinary talents, drive, and heart. We are confident you will strengthen our community, and that you will learn, grow, thrive, and foster lifelong friendships here. To put it simply, we want you at HLS.”

He is hoping to use a law degree, in part, to continue his efforts in advocating for others with disabilities. He knows that a Harvard Law degree would open many other opportunities, too.

“What attracted me to a law degree is the versatility and flexibility it provides after school,” Malesiewski said. “I can be anything, including a professor, I could practice law, I could be a judge, I could run for office or any number of things.

“I'm going into this new challenge with an open mind. I know a lot of people in chairs base their lives around advocacy, which is great, but I think you can also be a role model by living a normal life, by raising a family, working a good job and never giving up. Who knows, maybe one day I'll be a general counsel for a sports team or the NCAA.”

Malesiewski completed internships updating disability laws with former U.S. Rep. Donna Shalala, of Miami, Florida, D-27th Dist., and with Pennsylvania state Rep. Ryan Bizzarro, of Millcreek, D-3rd Dist. He has given numerous speeches to share his story, and he has worked for the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation as a volunteer peer mentor. From blogging about his situation to interacting with congressional representatives, Malesiewski dedicated a lot of his energy to the disabled cause over the past six years.

“I can count on three fingers the number of dark days Ian has had since his injury,” Reid said of her son. “He puts all of that type of sadness and angst into moving forward and helping others. He doesn't give any negative thoughts a minute of his time. Life is what you make of it, and he's more concerned about helping others than being sad about changes in his life.”

Origin of DefIANt Scholarship

During the summer of 2020, Malesiewski was hanging out at his house in North East with Nick Carneval, one of his best friends from Prep. The two started talking about how tough it is for people with disabilities to attend college. That conversation — and a lot of hard work that followed — led to the formation of the DefIANt Scholars Program.

“We were at his house where he grew up and tanning on his back deck when he brought up the idea to me,” Carneval said. “I began to do some thinking because at the time I had the platform to start it up. I was the director of philanthropy for my fraternity and saw it as a cool way to get the scholarship off the ground.”

Malesiewski, Carneval and two more friends, Will Lewis and Joe Campbell, got to work on raising money for the scholarship. In conjunction with the North East Community Foundation and several events over the past two years, the scholarship fund is close to $60,000.

“It started when I mentioned how expensive it is for disabled students. Without a scholarship to Miami, I'm not sure I would have been able to afford to go to college,” Malesiewski said. “Disabled students need special accommodations from special housing to laptops with programs. It can be pricy and cost-prohibitive for students.”

The scholarship fund started with Carneval making a 36-mile walk — the Walk of DefIANce — to raise money in the fall of 2020. In 2021, the group held the inaugural Be A Dog Golf Invitational to add to the fund. “Be A Dog” has been Malesiewski’s personal motto describing his inner drive, and his friends have often shared the #BeADog hashtag on social media.

Carneval held another 36-mile walk this past fall, and the second golf tournament is set for July 9 at Whispering Woods Golf Club. The tournament is already sold out for golfers, but the group is still collecting sponsorships and donations for the fund.

“There are so many statistics about students in Ian's position that don't go to school because of the cost,” Reid said. “It's amazing what these guys are doing to help kids get the nursing, housing, adaptive computers and programs. Thank God for the Erie community, which has helped him through all of this.”

The scholarship has also served as another way for Malesiewski to get his message out to the public and raise awareness about what students with disabilities deal with every day.

“Unless you were close with Ian before the injury, it was hard to realize how much it affected his life,” said Carneval, who became close friends with Malesiewski in eighth grade when they were two of just five players to attend Prep freshman football weightlifting together. “Ian has taught a lot of people about spinal cord injuries, and I think the Cinderella story in all of this is the injury never took over his mind, which is why he is so successful.”

A new opponent

Ian Malesiewski has been a competitor his whole life. He loved to compete in sports and set goals in academics to constantly challenge himself.

Malesiewski's athletic career might be over, but that means he focuses even more of his attention to academics and advocacy.

“I actually asked him one time if he would be this driven academically if the accident didn't happen,” Reid said. “He said he thought academics come naturally to him, but now that he doesn't have athletics, he puts all of his energy into his studies.

“If his injury didn't happen, he might have gone to college to wrestle or play football or even go into the military to burn off all of that extra energy he has.”

Malesiewski uses his internal drive to deal with situations as they come. One recent challenge was the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It was honestly a nightmare. I have a compromised diaphragm so I couldn't risk getting sick at all,” he said. “I spent a lot of time indoors and on Zoom meetings and online classes. I was going stir crazy, but it's great to be able to go places now.”

The patience and calm Malesiewski showed during the pandemic have been crucial skills since his accident.

“I think the biggest difference in Ian now is how relaxed and laid back he is,” Carneval said. “I think between the injury and the stress of everything he's taking on, he's made it a point to calm himself down. He has more on his plate than ever before but yet he's carefree and has learned to relax his mind.”

Malesiewski's drive has been apparent since the moment he arrived in Miami.

“Ian averages about 18 to 20 credits a semester, and sometimes he works a job or two,” Reid said. “One semester he worked two jobs and volunteered during the election. He starts his day between 5:30 and 6 a.m. and goes until at least 3 or 4 p.m. There were semesters he was in class until 7:30 p.m., and it was pretty amazing to watch. I don't know how he does it.

“Ian has fought for everything he has gotten down here from the right housing to the right equipment to learn. He's always working hard, and while I facilitate things, I'm just a worker bee behind the scenes. He has really grown up, and it's inspiring to see firsthand.”

Among those who have been inspired by Malesiewski’s attitude and achievements are his former coaches and classmates.

“The one thing I can say for the young man is he's an unbelievable human being and inspiration to not only his family and friends but generations of people,” Mischler said. “He's a symbol of what we should all strive to be, in my opinion, and I'm blown away every time I hear another story about what he is accomplishing. I'm so proud of him.”

To this day, Malesiewski still thinks about speaking to his opponent from the wrestling match that changed the course of his life.

“We haven't spoken at all, which is a little weird. My family tried to reach out right away and so did Prep, but it didn't work out,” Malesiewski said. “There was a rumor going around that he quit the sport of wrestling after the accident. I assume it was pretty traumatic for him. I'd really like to connect one day and tell him that, yes, it sucked but I'm doing just fine. Maybe it'll happen one day.”

Malesiewski has spent the past six years speaking to groups when he is asked, working for the rights of the disabled and mentally overcoming tough circumstances while trying to be a model student and citizen.

“I can't say enough about the support staff I've had over the years between my mom, my brother, my friends and my family,” Malesiewski said. “I wouldn't have gotten through the tough times or the days in the hospital or moving to a new home without them. Everyone sees me being positive and successful, but behind the scenes, a lot of people have sacrificed a lot to get me to where I am.”

Sunday's acceptance of the Medal of Courage, an award that defines his journey from tragedy to triumph, is a natural next step.

“Ian is someone that thrives at everything,” said Carneval, who will be one of Malesiewski's guests at Pennsylvania's Hall of Fame ceremony on Sunday at the Hershey Lodge in Hershey. “As opposed to someone who burns bright and fast, Ian is someone who is going to burn bright for the rest of his life.”

Contact Tom Reisenweber at treisenweber@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNreisenweber.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Malesiewski to receive Medal of Courage, head to Harvard Law School