Stunning right? Tamara Mena, a paraplegic from California, is one of the most positive women you’ll ever meet.
She’s an ambassador for Esko Bionics, the cutting-edge biotech company that creates exoskeletons for people with paralysis, as well as a model and motivational speaker. Read this entry
Wheelchair softball first began in 1970 in Sioux Falls, SD. “Sioux Wheelers” was the team’s name, and I can only imagine how much fun this early ’70s wheelchair softball team had.
Since then, hundreds of teams have formed in the US, and even cooler, it’s growing around the world. The sport overall is quite similar to the AB-version except one difference – wheelchair softball is played on a paved diamond (better watch out for road rash).
If you’ve always wanted to give wc-softball a go but have kept putting it off, the time is now – spring is here and there are loads of awesome people involved. Read on for four of our favorite wheelchair softball videos! Read this entry
Gravity is our worst enemy. Heavy legs, heavy chairs, heavy everything. Don’t you sometimes just want to float up, up and away?. This is why Michael Glen, rollingpilot here on SPINALpedia, went on to become the world’s only licensed paralyzed hot air balloon pilot after his injury.
From an upbringing that melded him into the solid man he is today to sharing his ballooning skills with others with disabilities, here is the fascinating back-story of the hot air balloon man, the man known as the “Rolling Pilot.” Read this entry
A performance artist since the day she was born, let me introduce you to the special soul that is Lyena Strelkoff.
She would say she’s first and foremost a dancer and actress, and that goes without question, but now days she’s best known for motivational speaking, and she’s becoming one of the most sought after motivational speakers in the country.
From discovering the joy of storytelling when she was in rehab (and finding self confidence she never had before) to developing a one-woman show that toured the country, check out the fascinating story of a woman who’s transformed her talents into a compelling art form aimed at helping the world understand the spinal cord injury experience. Read this entry
The wind can be one of the most entertaining aspects of nature, and most can agree that one of the best ways to enjoy a windy day is going kiting. That’s right – good old fashioned kite-flying.
All you need is an open field, a secure way to tie your kite to your wheelchair and a kite of course, and the trouble you can get into is awesome. Check out these three videos below showing some amazing kite-flying from a wheelchair, as well as a young kid who’s got the right idea with an umbrella. Watch the videos
In podcast 97, Neil Picone, an IFBB Pro wheelchair bodybuilder from New Jersey is on the show (he was paralyzed 6 years ago in a motorbike crash), and boy is he awesome. With an upper body that is better than most guys and a sweetheart to boot, this relatively new bodybuilder has an amazing story.
In this episode, Tiffiny and Neil discuss everything from dating and how he gets a lot of stares to his training regimen (and diet) and his plans for 2013. If you’ve ever wanted to sneak a peek inside the world of wheelchair bodybuilding, then this is your chance.
Listen below. Run time is 50 minutes.
No Free Rides is brought to you by Easystand
Links:
– Neil Picone Ifbb Pro on Facebook
– Neil’s bio on Wheelchairbodybuilding.com
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There are only a handful of medical doctors in the world with a spinal cord injury, and Dr. Glen House is one of the most fearless of them all.
From becoming the first person with a spinal cord injury to graduate with a medical degree from the University of Washington School of Medicine to founding a pair of major companies, Dr. Glen House is a quadriplegic unlike any other. Read this entry
Sometimes we can become incredibly passionate about a certain sport after our injury. This happens with countless people with a SCI, and a few even excel at it beyond their wildest dreams. This has certainly been the case with Candace Cable – a six-time Paralympian in cross-country skiing.
Adapted sports have been “the sun” in Candace’s post-injury life. From being known as a pioneer of wheelchair racing to creating a slew of educational videos for the Reeve foundation, let’s delve into the fearless world of Candace Cable. Read this entry
When 9/11 occurred, Tomas Young knew exactly what he wanted to do – he wanted to serve the United States in the war on terror. He enlisted days after the bombings, leaving his hometown of Kansas City, Missouri and was sent to Afghanistan. Now a quadriplegic and anti-war activist, discover a man who’s passion for his beliefs will never waver.
As a young 24 year old, Tomas was rearing to go – he wanted to help defeat the Taliban. President Bush’s speech at Ground Zero had fired him up. But after only days of arriving, he was hit by a sniper, becoming a C5-6 quadriplegic as a result.
And as you can imagine, the transformation a young hopeful soldier into a quadriplegic (with a much broader life perspective) can completely change you, and this is exactly what happened to Tomas. Read this entry
