Resilient is her middle name.
Chelsie has only been a paraplegic since 2010, and she’s given hundreds of speeches at high schools about her story, and is one of the stars of the reality show Push Girls. Read this entry
Category: Blog
Up in the air again
Wheelchair skydiving (watch the world’s first paralyzed woman with her solo license), wheelchair paragliding while still IN your chair, and accessible hot air balloons with lifts oh my! Watch these videos
SCI Superstar: Chris Waddell
The most decorated male Paralympian mono-skiier of all-time, one of People’s “50 Most Beautiful People” in 1998, and Chris just scaled Mt. Kilamajaro using a four-wheeled hand crank device you gotta see to believe. Read this entry
Mundane chores now have a whole new meaning
It’s Fall. No one expects the guy in the wheelchair to get down and dirty when it comes to raking leaves, or cutting down trees in the forest using a chainsaw (omg).
But these two guys show anything is possible. No fear baby! Read this entry
Getting wet…gracefully
4 awesome pool videos for wheelchair-users!
The first video shows a super buff 48 yr old C6 quad uses a lap pool (by himself). Video #2 video shows a much more dignified pool lift made just for the Paralympics (so cool!)
Video #3 is three sexy quads goofing off in the pool with floaties, and video #4, why no other than Mia of Push Girls. Watch her try swimming for the first time in YEARS. Watch these videos
The only paraplegic pro-surfer in the world
At the beach or the skate park – this is where you would’ve found Christiaan Bailey (who’s on the cover of this month‘s Sports ‘n Spokes magazine), an always-on-the-go pro surfer before his injury.
What’s awesome about this SCI superstar is that this is where you can still find him.
A L3-L4 fracture while filming a skateboarding video in 2006 is how Christiaan became paralyzed, but he’s refused to let it stop him from doing what he loves. Within weeks, Christiaan was already sketching surf board designs for paraplegics from his hospital bed. Read this entry
Back-to-school fierceness
It’s back to school time, people, and that means wheelchair-users everywhere are rolling into classrooms (and pushing desks out of their way).
Oh man, I remember my first day of college orientation as a quad. Talk about the Scariest. Day. Ever. But I soon found out, just like these wise people below, I was freaking out over nothing and realized after a few short months that college was going to be more than ok (and utterly awesome in fact).
The first video is of Carrie, a quadriplegic (injured in 2003). She shares what it was like to go back to college at Depaul university.
In her video (created by Facingdisability.com), she touches on how surprisingly easy it was to get her professors to accommodate her disability, and how great it felt to live on campus, in the city and far far away from her parents’ home. Read this entry
A great SCI-worthy donation
And this is a big one, folks. September is – woo hoo! – Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month.
What does this whole “awareness month” message mean? Lots of things…talking about what is a spinal cord injury, sharing spinal cord injury prevention tips and bringing up important issues facing people with spinal cord injuries.
This is actually where my heart lies. No one can cure us, but we can be in control of our lives by improving day-to-day issues, like having people who understand and all the information you need so you can live an amazing, healthy and independent life. HUGE stuff. That is why I am a major fan of BACKBONES. They’re a great non-profit dedicated to improving all of this really important stuff.
And this month, they’re trying to raise $10,000 for their organization, all of which will go directly to fund their mission (you can read it in full here).
They are there to give free support people with SCI and their familes – they do one-on-one pair ups, fun events all around the country. Having a good time and positivity is what they’re all about (proof!).
What’s not to love about an organization that holds city-wide scavenger hunts IN wheelchairs (everybody has to try it too, even if they can walk) as a way to teach SCI education?
SCI Superstar: Angela Rockwood
What’s not to love about this zen-filled lady? I always knew Angela was gorgeous, but after watching Push Girls and seeing her live in action it has made it clear as day.
Her amazingly high cheekbones and eyes that could halt an army in its tracks (thanks to her Thai/German descent), make Ms. Angela one of the most beautiful women you’ll ever see. Read all about her
Did you know that September is Spinal Cord Injury Awareness (SCI) Month?
A few months ago I had the pleasure of recording a podcast with Reveca Torres (listen here).
Reveca is a C5 quadriplegic who was injured in a car accident while on vacation at the age of 13. In 2009, Reveca founded BACKBONES. BACKBONES exists to provide one-on-one support for individuals with a spinal cord injury (SCI) and their families. They’re making connections to others with a similar injury and interests via telephone, in-person, or web to encourage sharing of experiences and ideas.
BACKBONES also hosts fun, dynamic events that get people with and without SCI together for support, education, awareness and a good time! For example they have held fashion shows, wine tastings, 5Ks and more. In honor of Awareness Month BACKBONES has designed a Scavenger Hunt in two cities (Portland, OR and Chicago, IL)….