Once a wheelchair rugby champion, this Tucson resident finds purpose in parenting

When Derrick Helton was growing up, he had big plans post-high school. He would join the military, go to college and develop his interest in science research.

But when he attempted to join the Marines a few months after graduation, Helton failed a routine hearing test. That led to more medical exams and a diagnosis of neurofibromatosis, a genetic condition that causes tumors to grow along the nerves.

“A scan led to finding a tumor in my neck. The tumor in my neck led to surgery. And that surgery went bad and led to paralysis,” Helton said. “Everything just kind of erased, and I had to find a new way.”

He found ways to reinvent himself. A biting winter in his Missouri hometown introduced Helton to wheelchair rugby, a sport that ultimately landed him a spot on the USA Paralympic team. When medical complications ended his rugby career in 2016, he turned to become a stay-at-home parent to his three children.

At 37, the Tucson resident is looking for his next move.

“With my hearing gone and the brain surgery and all of the aftereffects, it kind of ruined my career as an athlete,” he said. “I’m trying to be creative with ways to continue my journey.”

From Missouri winters to USA Rugby

Helton says he was always an athlete who craved intensity and competition growing up in Tuscumbia, Missouri. But it wasn’t until one winter, feeling isolated at home as the weather kept him indoors, that Helton discovered wheelchair rugby while searching online for things to do.

He made a call to a rugby coach in St. Louis, a decision that changed the next decade of his life.

A month later, Helton drove three hours to the city for his first practice, where he played with the team for two hours, and then drove three hours back home in the middle of the night.

“I was hooked,” Helton said. “I was like, ‘I’ll be there next week. I’ll do (the drive) all day every day if you want me to.’”

Soon, a 19-year-old Helton joined his St. Louis teammates in California for a rugby training camp, where he caught the attention of a University of Arizona coach. He was ultimately recruited to the university’s Adaptive Athletics program, moved to Tucson and led the team to its first appearance at nationals in 2006.

Helton said that before he knew it, he was competing against top-caliber teams, including one with a Team USA Paralympic coach who saw him play at a tournament in Texas.

He ultimately joined the USA team in 2007, launching an international athletic career that earned Helton a gold Paralympic medal in 2008 and bronze in 2012. In 2022, Helton was inducted into the USA Wheelchair Rugby Hall of Fame.

After rugby, 'a whole different ball game'

Helton thought he would be playing rugby well into his 50s, traveling the world and bonding with his teammates at training camps.

But by 2016, Helton started having seizures from a brain tumor. Shortly after that, his hearing started to decline. His doctors advised him to have surgery and forgo the Paralympic Games.

Helton said he misses the camaraderie and high-energy competition of the rugby court. But he’s found a new routine over the past five years in Tucson, caring for his three kids, ages 2, 4 and 9.

On a normal day, he makes breakfast, takes care of lunches, and gets his kids to and from school, the “normal stay-at-home parent thing.” In some ways, Helton said, parenting is harder than the athletic career he found before it.

“You can handle things that come your way when you’re an athlete and train and work on it,” he said. “But when you start dealing with little humans, that’s a whole different ball game.”

While Helton figures out what’s next, he says he’s enjoying the Tucson weather (the Missouri snow is a no-go), finding time to read and hopes to learn sign language to better communicate with his family. And he’s eager to stay adaptable, reminded of his 18-year-old self who found a new way.

“People try so hard to plan the future, and I’m the exact opposite of that,” Helton said. “You really gotta enjoy the one-year plan, because that 10-year plan might not be there.”

Madeline Rosenberg was a Pulliam Fellow for The Arizona Republic. She can be reached on X, formerly known as Twitter, @madelinerosenb4.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Former University of Arizona wheelchair rugby champion looks to the future