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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
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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…
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Finally, a footplate for high heels
OMG a perfect place for high heels on footrests? My friend Tamara Mena, a paraplegic, has worked with TiLite wheelchairs to create this awesome foot plate made to accomodate high heels. Love it! Women in wheelchairs everywhere have been wanting something like this for years. The heels can rest off the back of the plate, making it so the ankles stay straight. It’ll be available soon, but the exact date has yet to be released. Check in with TiLite for more info in coming months. PS. A power chair version needs to be available next!
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Wheelchair-users on trampolines!
Walking and jumping; two things I thought I’d never do again until a cure came around. Turns out I jumped the gun a early on the jumping part. Wheelchairs and trampolines…never in a million years would I have thought these two worlds would, or could, collide. The first video comes from a really cool paraplegic from California, Andrew Angulo, who makes videos showing how he does nearly everything, and in this 5 minute video showing how he ‘jumps’ on a trampoline will certainly get your brain churning. I never thought a paraplegic could do what he does, and then I saw his trampoline video and was schooled. Read this entry
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Podcast 89: Judith Smith – Artistic Director of AXIS Dance
In podcast 89, Tiffiny is joined by Judith Smith, the artistic director of AXIS Dance Company. She is a C6 quad from a car accident in 1977 and moved on to a life of dance after her injury, much to her own surprise (she was into horse riding growing up, definitely not dance). They discuss her journey, discovering the healing aspects of integrated dance, how AXIS was founded…
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Push Girls Episode 14 Review: Breaking Back In
In episode 14, the season comes to a close with the premiere of Auti’s new film (and she invites her long lost Dad). Angela finally lands her dream modeling gig, but brings new boyfriend as her caretaker for the 3 day shoot in NYC. Does it end up being a good idea? SPOILERS AHEAD *** The episode begins with Angela sitting at her kitchen table with her caretaker Judy, looking through headshots and putting together her modeling portfolio. She gets a phone call from her casting agent and is told she just landed a modeling deal with Nordstrom. Dude!
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SCI Superstar: Aaron Fotheringham
“Just when you thought sitting was safe” is Aaron Fotheringham’s awesome tagline. Touring with the Nitro Circus (an extreme sports tour), speaking and doing demos at events and at school, such is the life of your-not-so-average 20 year old from Las Vegas, the very brave soul behind the world’s first wheelchair back flip. Aaron was born with Spina Bifida, but could never just sit. Wasn’t his thing. After being adopted into a close-knit family as a baby (they adopted 7 kids in total), they’re the reason he’s the extreme adapted athlete he is today. One of his brothers was into skating, and Aaron would always come along and watch… After…
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Perfect eggs with the founder of Ms. Wheelchair Utah
Meet Meg Johnson, the hip/2012 version of the happy-go-lucky housewife and she’s doing in all on four wheels. Her injury was a wild one; in 2004, Meg leaped onto a boulder that wasn’t stable enough while she was hiking. The fall broke both her femurs, her arms, collar bone and C7 vertebrae (ouch indeed). Now home and queen of her domain again, Meg is making some of the best how-to videos for quads/wheelchair-users I’ve ever seen. Did I mention she founded the Ms. Wheelchair Utah pageant too? Yeah, she’s all warm and fuzzies. The adorable Meg lives in a farmhouse in northern Utah (with her just as adorable husband Whit).…
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Push Girls Episode 13 Review: In The Deep End
In episode 13, Mia swims her first meet (and it’s against all able-bodied swimmers), Auti and Eric finally get some deep conversations going on having kids and Tiphany rolls a 5k. And you gotta watch Tiph do her faux chair “run” in Angela’s kitchen. And good news! Push Girls has been renewed for a second season! (look for it in 2013) SPOILERS AHEAD *** The episode begins by checking in with Mia at the pool, whose doing her last practice before her swim meet, and we get another melodramatic over dub of Mia’s story, and she talks about how hard it was to not be able to swim anymore (and…
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SCI Superstar: Cody Unser
Cody Unser, the daughter of NASCAR racing legend Al Unser Jr., was paralyzed at age 12. Since her bizarre injury, she has helped lobby for SCI research in DC and is a huge proponent of adapted SCUBA (and the beneficial nerve side-effects!). Read this entry
