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“I started flying gliders, like literally two weeks out of rehab… you’re eye-to-eye with hawks circling in a thermal… and I’m circling directly over the spot I was injured, but it never even crossed my mind.” “The thing I’ve found raising the kids from a chair is kids in general are really genuine and caring, and forgiving… and just being able to show them that yeah things can happen in life and you can go on and still be a person out there doing your thing... I think my kids are probably better for it.” “I look on life as I've had the best of both worlds. I did have the opportunity to walk and now I have the opportunity to look at life in a different way.” **Ayana is a certified peer mentor through United Spinal**
“I’ve gained so many positive skills during my paralysis that I know that everything happens exactly the way it’s supposed to, and as it should.” Check out Sandy’s YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/santaz33064.
Brian Denny - C3/C4 Incomplete Quadriplegic from South Carolina, USA, 11 Years Post-Injury3/29/2021
"Be willing to seek out help to get advice from others that are in a similar situation, because that’s going to be the biggest benefit, whether you’re ready to accept the fact that you’re injured and life is going to be different or not.” **Brian is a certified peer mentor with the South Carolina Spinal Cord Injury Association and the United Spinal Association.**
“I went to graduate school and I went sky diving and stuff like that, but I’d say personally the most surprising accomplishments have been what I’ve been able to do to adapt… it’s just like such a boost to come up with ideas and workarounds.” **James is a certified peer mentor through the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation**
“I would just encourage people that are differently-abled and not differently-abled to actually sit down and have a conversation… because we tend to look at the outside and judge strictly off of that… but all along we’re kind of dealing with the same things just in different shells.” Check out Eboni's website at https://www.ebonipministries.com.
“It feels good to be out and have some fresh air and a breeze on your face and hot dog and beverage from the stands - that’s when you start living again, when you start partaking in things that are around you.” **Joel is a certified peer mentor through the Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Center**
“That was like a knife in my heart to see I’m not able to sit or able to walk, or able to put on my clothes. But I’m concentrating on what I can do. I can breathe, I can have my mind, I can dream, I can wish.” "My son was a big mentor to me, he was telling me, 'Dad, just be patient, don’t worry, it’s going to work out,' ... because I used to say that to him as a kid... and I love that role reversal." “There are stand-up comics but I can’t find a sit-down comic. I can make jokes about things that no one else could touch with a 10-foot pole, and I’m only a five-foot pole. I need to go back to work.” "What really helped me get back into the swing of things is figuring out what you’re most afraid of, just overcoming fear. The higher the fear threshold, the higher the reward." "My goals are not necessarily to walk again. My goals are to stay healthy because a disability doesn't mean that I'm unhealthy." Check out her organization Backbones at https://backbonesonline.com!
“Los que tienen lesión medular entienden y saben que esto más que un tema físico… es un cambio de vida en un minuto que nos obliga a explotar y sacar la mejor versión de nosotros.” “Most of the books I found were people telling me, ‘Okay, this is what happened to me.’ That’s helpful but that’s not what I want -- I want a “how-to.” So I decided, fine, I know what I want. If I can’t find it, I’ll write it. Find Carolyn's book, "A Complete Plain-English Guide To Living With A Spinal Cord Injury," at https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Plain-English-Living-Spinal-Injury-ebook/dp/B0014E6ZAU.
“A spinal cord injury is a long term injury for most people, and... you need to approach it as a long-term investment. Nobody is going to fight harder for you than you’re going to fight for yourself. So... you need to be ready to be the captain of the ship.” "Don't feel like you have to go any route. If you don't want to do support groups, don't want to do your peer mentoring for a while, don't do it. But be open to that possibility re-emerging in your life." "Don't feel like you have to go any route. If you don't want to do support groups, don't want to do your peer mentoring for a while, don't do it. But be open to that possibility re-emerging in your life." William W Bowie III - C4 Complete Quadriplegic from Connecticut, USA, 15 years post-injury4/24/2020
"The fact that I was still alive... knowing that I was blessed with a second opportunity to live a life, however limited it might be, was a blessing." Saumitra Dubey - C4/5 Complete Quadriplegic from Uttar Pradesh, India, 15 years post-injury3/24/2020
"This world needs better from us. We cannot grow in isolation and, therefore, selfless contribution is very, very important." "Never let your disability stop you. It’s going to slow you down so much, it’s going to be so frustrating, but just continue to persist." Joseph Rodrigues - C4/5 Incomplete Quadriplegic from Maharashtra, India, 7 years post-injury2/26/2020
“More important is that I need to do something big in life so that I can tell people like me that their life is not over, they have a bigger life ahead of them.” “Your wheelchair can literally be your legs anyway. Yeah you may not be able to go jump and leap, and maybe not be able to go up stairs as easy and other things, but there’s always something that can aid you in that way. |
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Learn MoreNot sure what type of spinal cord injury you have? Click here to read more about level differences. |
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