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Its your LIFE, Make the most of IT! My name is Joshua Rucker. I was born and raised in Warren, Michigan. Growing up, I always had an athlete's mentality. I loved to lift weights, work on my fitness and look good. When I was 18, my world changed in ways I could never have imagined. On September 17, 2002, I headed to work and began my normal routine as a technician for a heating and cooling company. I had a job out in Lansing, Michigan, that day. On the way to the job site, the rear axle in the commercial vehicle that I was driving snapped causing the vehicle to flip 14 times. Needless to say, I never made it to Lansing. Technically, I was pronounced dead on the scene, but by the grace of God I was alive. I was in a coma for a month. I had no idea what was going on, where I was and what had happened to me. At 18 years old, I was told I'd never walk again. I don't need to describe how that made me feel ... I'm sure you can imagine. But here I am, living and breathing and making the most of life! After I accepted and embraced this change in my life, I decided it was time to move forward. I started playing wheelchair basketball and loved it. I always want more so I went to college so I could play at a higher level. I played for OSU (Oklahoma State University) then UTA (The University of Texas at Arlington). Last year, I ran across a man named “Hannibal For King” and a group called "Barstarzz," a calisthenic workout group. Instantly, I was a fan. I tried out for the workout team and, thankfully, was accepted as a member. I loved how calisthenics challenged me and conquered everything I set out to do! Then I saw wheelchair bodybuilding on YouTube! I was pumped! I have followed bodybuilding my whole life, and I knew I could actually do this … in a wheelchair! So I started training that day to become a wheelchair bodybuilder. I ended up earning my IFBB Pro Wheelchair body building pro card and wow what an achievement! I am Number 17 ranked in the world to become an IFBB Pro Wheelchair bodybuilder! Now I work for a company called IAmAdaptive.com and we work with the best Adaptive athletes around the world! I myself right now are on a journey to break, state, national and world records in the bench press powerlifting!! Check out IAmAdaptive.com I am one of the IAACTAthletes

I got my “second chance” thanks to God Hello my name is Randy. I am 35 years old and I was in a terrible car accident causing the amputation of my two legs. I spent one month in a coma, and 9 months on a bed recovering and unable to move. However, I got my “second chance” thanks to God. I now live my life to the fullest and I am a Paralympian Athlete representing Costa Rica.

Pursuing Dreams: I am Tamara Mena I am Tamara Mena and I am 30 years old. I’m a host, model, and motivational speaker. I’m a wheelchair user and paraplegic due to a spinal cord injury, acquired at the age of 19, right when I felt invincible… I had just moved to San Diego, the city of my dreams and all my plans were going exactly as I had hoped. On a Saturday night, we were riding in a taxicab, on our way to Rosarito to go dancing, but we never made it. We collided with a horse that was randomly standing in the middle of the highway. I became paralyzed from the chest down (T2), and unfortunately, my boyfriend at the time, Patrick, was killed. I was absolutely heartbroken and felt powerless when all of this happened. But thanks to the amazing support of my mom, family, and friends, I moved forward. I chose to live my life as a survivor and appreciate all that I have and not complain about my situation, for I had survived when other people in that same car didn’t. As much as the pain was insurmountable for losing my boyfriend of three years and my ability to walk, I knew God would grant me the strength to move forward and focused on what I could still do. I felt helpless for some time when I had severe medical complications and couldn’t get back to school. My lifelong goal was to graduate from college. I always had seemed to have “it all together.” Acquiring a SCI was very difficult to adjust to, but you are ABLE to overcome anything. I never gave up on my dreams or goals most of all. No matter how physically ill I was, I always kept my desire to succeed and my spirits up, and I just knew I would graduate from college one day. I went back to school, and even though, I experienced many ups and downs during my undergrad, I graduated with my B.A. in communication with the highest honors and numerous academic awards, as well as becoming the first commencement speaker in a wheelchair at CSUS. I haven’t stopped pursuing other dreams either. As a model, I went back to modeling after my accident, and have been fortunate to model on different runways, including New York Fashion Week; although, I wish there were more opportunities for models who happen to have different abilities. I hope to see more progress and inclusion. But we have to pave the way and create those opportunities. In 2013, I made history on Spanish television by making it into a very famous beauty competition, Nuestra Belleza Latina. I was the first woman in a wheelchair selected, competing against thousands of women with full abilities. But not everything has been easy… I had just decided I would move to LA to pursue hosting when I had a second car accident, that I was “very lucky to survive” as the paramedics said, but which was very difficult to overcome. In some ways, it was more difficult than the first one, mentally. But I knew I couldn’t give up on life or on my dreams... and I am still continuing on with my life goals. My faith and knowing God has protected me more than once is what has helped me carry on. This is how I chose to look at this second car accident; we all fall down in life, and not just once. Sometimes we fall down so hard and when you least expect it, but WE ALL HAVE THE POWER TO GET BACK UP. You decide to get back up! So I thanked God for all he had done in my life, and I got back up and realized this was just going to be another obstacle I’d have to overcome in my journey in life. To God be the glory. After that, with support from my family, I retook my plans to move down to LA to grow in my career in all ways, hoping to break stereotypes in the entertainment industry. All in all, I just want to be respected, appreciated for my talent and just be seen for who I am. I want for people to see past my wheelchair, past my differences. Getting people to see beyond my wheelchair, any “limitations” or past any differences all together is what I’m fighting for. By raising awareness in all that I do, to break stereotypes and get people to become more inclusive, I hope I can help inspire change and create more opportunities for others. I am passionate about motivating people, and one of my missions in life is empowering women, women of all walks of life. For that, I have created the “Embrace YOU Project” to encourage ALL women to accept and EMBRACE their beauty and all that they are! I am currently working on the second edition of the Embrace YOU Project. You can follow more of my journey on youtube.com/TamaraMenaOfficial and for more info, please visit Tamaramena.com.

Look at me now Looking at me now you'd never know that a year ago I was getting ready to say goodbye, talking about funeral arrangements, and coming to terms with the fact that although, 28 wasn't a long life, it was a great life. I was on hospice care, down to 10% lung function, and was unable to walk on my own at times. Now, thankfully that's all changed. Me in a nutshell I was born with Cystic Fibrosis, which in the 80's not much was known of my disease other than the fact that most babies born with it didn't live to be very old. The day I was diagnosed, my mother was told not to get attached to me at all. You see that's almost impossible if you are excited to be a mother and are already attached to your child as parents. My parents refused to listen to what the doctors said about my life expectancy, especially once I surpassed all of thier predictions. From the moment they got me home they instilled one thing into my head and that was to never let my disease stop me from anything I wanted to do. They never let it keep me from being a kid, participating in any activity (even when they knew my lungs probably wouldn't be able to do them, they still let me try), and they always supported every dream I've ever had. For that I'm so thankful because if not, I'd say I wouldn't still be here. I'm a fighter and a dreamer because they allowed me to be. Sandi's Bucket List From a young age I've always had a list of things everyone wants to accomplish and most are things like climb Mt. Everest or visit London. Yet, for me they were a little more low key, you see I still was only supposed to have a maximum age of 25 at the most. So, my list was modest at first and then it grew. At the begining my list consisted of, Graduating HS, turn 18, attend college and so on. Of course I had a few I never thought I'd accomplish. Like modeling in California, seeing I was a sick kid from WV and even working at the Playboy Mansion was a dream of mine, thanks to the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Low and behold all off these things happened and with such amazing rewards, friendships, and stories inbetween. Accomplishing my goals and proving the doctors wrong became my mission in life for many years until I was stopped in my tracks and began to get sicker and sicker. Still to this day, I have 2 years of life I can't get back. The last two years Once I was home in WV and started a nonprofit organization to spread awareness for rare and commonly unknown diseases, I was hospitalized and needed surgery, due to complications with Cystic Fibrosis. After that admission my health began to go down hill and I couldn't seem to catch a break. My lung functions drop drastically and I was needing to be evaluated for a double lung transplant, which is highly common amongst CF patients. However, I was also diagnosed with a very bad super bug that will always be in my lungs thus making transplant very difficult and only a hand full of doctors will even go through with transplant with this bug. So, I was faced with a difficult decision; go through with the transplant and maybe pull through or pass on the transplant and allow someone else with a higher chance of survival than me get a new set of lungs. Indeed I chose not to go through with a transplant. Sadly, my lungs continued to get worse and worse where I was put on hospice care and though my last days were upon me. Thankfully, something in my head said, let's move to the beach at least if I pass, I'll be on the beach. Thankfully after a month of living in Myrtle Beach I was breathing so much better. After two months I was walking around on my own and getting out and about. Now, 6 months after living in SC I no longer need oxygen, my lung functions are increasing every doctors appointment, and I'm back to bringing awareness for CF and knocking off more things from my bucket list. I'm trying to tell my story and hoping to help those with CF know that the diseases can't ever stop you from going for your dreams and making things happen. As long as you smile, stay positive, and work as hard as possible you can do anything. Disease be damned!

She has smashed every milestone without any help Hello! This is Peyton Jessica Devine, and she is 1 years old. We found out she was missing the lower part of her left arm at our 12 week scan and we knew since then she would be beautiful no matter what and that nothing would hold her back! Since she was born, she has smashed every milestone without any help! She uses her lucky fin for everything and it truly is such an amazing thing to see!

Life Changing Spinal Cord Injury I am 22 years old & have a T12 spinal cord injury. I was injured my senior year of high school at the age of 17. I fell out of my apartment bedroom window & snapped my back in half. I use a manual wheelchair on a daily basis. I have been injured for almost four years now & that doesn't get any easier. I am now part of a wheelchair dance team, "LA Rollettes" led by Chelsie Hill. The dance team is honestly the best thing that happened to me. I found something I love as well as some really great friends. Prior to my accident I was scared & interested in joining dance, but never did. I had a second chance at making that happen & it's something I am very blessed to say.

The Accident That Caused Chelsie Hill's Spinal Cord Injury As a national championship dancer on my high school varsity team, I would have never thought two months before graduation I would be completely paralyzed waist down with a spinal cord injury by a drunk driver. The driver of the car I was in rounded a corner too quickly and we hit a tree head on at 35MPH. When we hit the tree, the impact of my seatbelt left me a T10 paraplegic instantly. I was in the hospital for 51 days and was released shortly after my 18th birthday. Dance is Dance. Walking or Rolling. I thought my dreams of dancing professionally were over after I sustained my spinal cord injury until one evening, sitting in my hospital bed, I watched Youtube videos of wheelchair dancers. At first, I rejected the idea of continuing to dance without the use of my legs. But as I began to heal, my passion for dance grew stronger than ever. I knew I couldn't just sit on the sidelines and watch my life go by wishing things were different. Together, my father and I started a non profit organization to bring awareness to spinal chord injuries and to help empower people in the disabled community. I now live in Los Angeles, CA where I train and work as a professional dancer and founded the LA Rollettes, one of the world's only wheelchair dance teams. My organization, The E.P.I.C. Project, has a devout mission to pull resources, equipment, and funds to empower people in chairs. It is our daily mission to help people turn their limitations into possibilities and live their biggest dreams. I also work as a rep for Max-Mobility who are the creators of the SmartDrive. Which is a power assist wheel for manual wheelchairs. Finally, Endless Ability and Ability Jeans recently asked me to create a jean line for girls. I have loved the process of creating a jean line that is comfortable and trendy for all different body types and needs. I never thought an injury like this was even possible or that it could happen to me. But six years later, I know that I can achieve whatever I set my mind and heart on. The experiences I have had and the amazing people I have met along the way would not have happened if things had gone differently for me. Dance is dance whether you're walking or rolling. And even though I have good days and bad days like everyone else, this is the life I've been given and I'm going to live it.

I can and will do anything that I want to I'm Jordan Luce, a 22 year old French professional wheelchair basketball player. Born with Congenital Psudoathrosis of the right tibia I spent much of my childhood in and out of hospitals and rehabilitation centres in France, thousands of miles from my family and home in Martinique, French Caribbean. At 16, back in Martinique I began wheelchair racing where I was spotted by the France team wheelchair basketball coach who invited to me to a training camp in Paris. From here my life as I knew it changed. I represented France for the first time at 18 at the European championships and have since gone on to play in clubs in England, France and Germany whilst continuing my international career. The opportunities opened up to me through sport have been far more than I could ever have imagined... I have travelled the world, made friends and even a fiance through basketball! But most of all sport has given me an inner strength and belief that I can and will do anything that I want to.

There have been many times I've wanted to give up but I can't Hi, my name is Curtis. I was born missing my right hand but that didn't keep me from doing anything. However, being active did not keep me from being overweight. Up until Spring 14' I was overweight. From January to June I went from 200lbs to 150lbs. I started taking the gym more seriously in Oct 14' and did what I could to chase my dream of building strength, strength always came first to me. In June 2015 I finally bought a lifting hook and was able deadlift which completely changed working out for me. What many people don't see with adaptive athletes on Instagram is the literal blood, sweat, and tears that goes into it. Yes, other athletes experience this as well but being an adaptive weightlifter can at times be incredibly frustrating. There have been many times I've wanted to give up but I can't, it is far too rewarding and makes me far too happy to ever quit. I will be competing in my first competition this Fall which is WWG16 and I am very excited to show what I can do and meet with other adaptive athletes and share ideas. The picture is me at 14 years old, which isn't my heaviest but probably highest body fat because I was much shorter and me at the bottom of a 150lb snatch.

Hey everyone, my name is Santeri Sutinen. My nickname is "TuXee" and I am a 19 year old one handed competitive Call of Duty gamer, Youtuber and a fishing enthusiast from Finland. My right hand got amputated after I went through a lathing accident in 2010. It happened in 7th grade and I was 13 years old. It took me a long time to adjust to the new lifestyle, as well has hard work, sleepless nights just crying and trying to think why it happened to me. I got really depressed and I lost motivation for everything. Until about a year after the accident my friend made me try playing, it felt impossible but I decided that I'll learn no matter what. So we played a couple hours almost every day for about a year, and in that year I realized that I can do this, quite well actually. So after that I started playing competitively and make videos to youtube where I show my gameplays, videoblogs, fishing trips etc. I've also been super interested in fishing and nature for my whole life, so I decided I'll figure out a way to keep doing what I love, and I did and it's like a lifestyle for me now. If i don't go fishing for a week something is wrong haha. But anyways, if you guys have a feeling that you're not good enough or capable enough to do the things you love or trying to do something new, forget those thoughts, tell yourself "I can, it will take time to figure out how, but i will figure it out rather than regret for never even trying." Trust me. There's nothing more satisfying than to realize you're able to do whatever you want. Hope you guys enjoyed my story, i wasn't really sure how to tell it. Hope you all have a great day and remember to smile. -Santeri "TuXee" Sutinen

Meet Maddux... At 22 weeks gestation, Maddux and his mama underwent fetal surgery, or surgery in the womb, to repair the opening on his spine (L1) due to the neural tube defect, spina bifida. He was born prematurely 8 weeks later at 30 weeks and at a week old, required immediate surgery (unrelated to spina bifida) for a perforated bowel and had an inch of small intestine removed. After 10 long weeks in the NICU, Maddux finally went home! At 5 months old, after monitoring his ventricles since he was in the womb, his neurosurgeon decided it was time to address his hydrocephalus and performed an ETV (endoscopic third ventriculostomy) to relieve the pressure on his brain. During this time, several doctors mentioned that Maddux's long bones were shorter than normal and suspected he had a form of dwarfism. At 9 months old, a geneticist confirmed that he has achondroplasia, the most common form of dwarfism. So many things started to make sense now. From his hydrocephalus to his breathing issues, not all of this was directly related to his spina bifida but instead BOTH diagnoses. Maddux has undergone nearly 10 surgeries, 6 of which have been brain surgeries. After a nasty 4-month battle with bacterial meningitis at around a year old, Maddux had two VP shunts placed in his brain to relieve pressure caused by fluid build up. Now, this 2-year-old is thriving! He is currently learning how to maneuver his Bumbo wheelchair and only time will time will tell if he will walk with assistance. Maddux has not only proven that he is a survivor but that he is also a true fighter! #madduxstrong

My mission is to show not only disabled people put able bodied people that anything is possible. Hi, my name is Aaron and I lost my dominate arm and almost my life to a drunk driver shortly after returning from Iraq. I didn't understand why me and even think I had the strength to get through such a tragedy if it wasn't for the hundreds of friends and family members pushing me everyday. I started by climbing a rock wall the no one thought I could finish but I did and never looked back. My mission is to show not only disabled people put able bodied people that anything is possible. We need to stop whining and crying for sympathy and earn the respect of others just because we are disabled doesn't mean we want things handed to us. I thought myself to video game again on a normal controller and do that everyday as a hobby but I really love inspiring our youth. Thanks for your time.