SAN ANTONIO – A former University of Incarnate Word basketball player and now coach of a middle school aged team is about to take on a challenge of a lifetime by standing on his own again.
Back in 2011, Marcus Best was diagnosed with a tumor that wrapped around his spinal cord.
That tumor was successfully removed after surgery, but left him confined to a wheelchair.
"I do plan on walking again," Best said.
It's been three years and four months since Best has walked.
In that time, Best went from being an athletic former University of Incarnate Word basketball player to being inactive.
"One of the fastest ways to get up out of the wheelchair was to lose weight as well as try to regain some of the strength I lost in my legs," Best said.
With the help of Dr. Stephen Cohen at California Medical Weight Management, Best has lost 30 pounds so far and he doesn't take any part of his journey for granted.
"As a person, when I'm able to get out of it(the wheelchair), I feel like I'm going to be that much more of a better person than I was prior to all of this taking place."
Despite being confined to a wheelchair, Best said he takes pride in coaching his basketball team.
"Just being able to help younger individuals trying to achieve some of their dreams while they are still young," Best said.
His team likes the fact that Best lives by the phrase, "Never give up."
"He's a motivational boost to overcome the challenges and different obstacles," said Ronald Stevens, who has been coached by Best.
"He always wants me to stay after and shoot a couple of shots to make sure my form is right," Best’s son Marcus Best, Jr. said. "And, he's a great dad, a great coach. I love him."
Marcus Best admits coaching a team from a wheelchair can be challenging.
"Not being able to give them the examples by standing up and showing them proper footwork or proper release on the shot, things that you can't do sitting down," Best said.
Best said his goal is to stand on his own by October of next year.