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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
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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
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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
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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…
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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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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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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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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
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Push Girls Episode 12 Review: Moving On
In episode 12, Mia and Tiphany go accessible apartment hunting so little miss Mia can get out of her grungy apartment and into a sexy “grown up” apartment she can be proud of. Not easy in LA, but is it anywhere really? Watch the girls visit the Rose Bowl farmer’s market to find Mia some stylish new things for her place. Also, Chelsie’s back story with her dad gets spotlighted, with her beginning to feel some reluctance in doing her “don’t do what I did” speeches at high schools. SPOILERS AHEAD *** This episode begins with Mia in her apartment feeding her parakeet Chirpy. We get the back story on Mia’s apartment. It’s…
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Breaking barriers with wheelchair breakdance
Back in the year 2000, all you’d see online about wheelchair dance was wheelchair ballroom dance videos or maybe something on wheelchair ballet, but not anymore. Oh no. Wheelchair dance has come a long way in the last decade, and Auti Angel of Push Girls, one of the best paralyzed hip-hop dancers in the world, has definitely helped make it more popular than ever. So we’ve uncovered a few others. Mobile phone technology is the reason so much more wc-dance info is online, including the dozens of adapted dance videos that are available. I’m always searching for videos that prove you can still be a dancer to be reckoned with…
