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How we adapted our in-person exercise program to the COVID-19 pandemic! Every Body Athletics is a small group exercise program designed for adults with disabilities in the greater Portland area. We promote positivity, inclusivity, and teamwork, which not only motivates physical wellbeing but also supports social wellbeing, too. At EBA, teammates (volunteers) workout alongside athletes (adults with disabilities) to inspire and assist circuit training style exercises. Each station has a conversation starter, which allows the partners to learn more about one another and grow in their social skills. My name is Brad Franklin, and I'm the Director of Every Body Athletics. EBA provides inclusive, small group exercise sessions for adults with developmental disabilities. Since the mandatory stay-at-home orders were set, EBA has worked hard to create a similar environment for athletes while they are at home. Though we cannot perfectly replicate an EBA session outside of our facility, we have made workout videos each week for athletes to follow along with. This allows athletes to stay active while at home and stay connected to our essential program. Additionally, we started weekly Zoom EBA sessions where both teammates and athletes can interact live with one another through video calling. This has helped not only further support athletes in their physical wellbeing but also works to maintain social wellbeing. At in-person EBA, we always end our sessions with “high fives all around” to celebrate our hard work. To adapt to the current situation, we now end our Zoom calls with waves to one another, as a way to sustain our togetherness. While this season of life may have added challenges, we know that we are always better together!

My 8 weeks old son.. My name is Christian, I'm 34 years old and I'm living in Norway with my fiance and our 2 kids.. 24th August 2019 I crashed on my road bike, and got Paralyzed in a really serious accident. I have always lived a very active life, and love to push the limit in every part of my life. About 8 weeks before the accident I got my beautiful son, the same day I put a ring on my (now) fiances finger. The accident cost me the option to walk, which was a tough thing to accept. But I have done a lot of mental training on my own, which I think has saved our future. My fiance and family are the biggest motivation for me, and together we will create a great life. Every day I wake up and try to do my best for my family. Live your life..!

From heartbreak to happiness When we received Alice's Down syndrome diagnosis shortly after her birth, we were heartbroken. We only knew the outdated stereotypes about DS and questioned our ability to care for her. However, once we learned the truth about DS and just how great life can be for those that are chromosomally enhanced, we realized the precious gift we had been given. Ever since then, it's been "up syndrome!" Alice is 2 now and doing amazing! She's happy, healthy, smart, and capable of anything.

Adapt Overcome Explore! My name is Zac Wolfe and I am 28 years old. I was born and raised in Johnsonburg, PA. In 2015 I married my wife (Brittney) and moved to Saint Marys, PA. Growing up I always enjoyed the outdoors! I was the type of kid who just could not sit still. In the summertime, you could usually find me on my bicycle, running, riding my ATV & dirt bikes, and everything in between. During the winter months, I was part of the high school wrestling team and devoted a lot of time to the sport. I was and still am very active, a person who just enjoys being outside. On July 3, 2011, when I was 19 my life was forever changed in the blink of an eye. I was in a tragic car accident which resulted in a C5-C6 spinal cord injury. I woke up face down in the middle of the road unable to move any of my limbs. Talk about being scared! While waiting for the ambulance to arrive, a million thoughts ran through my head. That was the longest few minutes of my life and nothing could have prepared me for what was to come. I had been rushed to the hospital and life-flighted to the nearest trauma center. Shortly after that, I found out what type of injury and how serious it was. I had suffered from severe whiplash leaving me classified as a quadriplegic. I was completely speechless, and it honestly came down to the constant thoughts of doubt, “What am I going to do with my life?”… “How will I continue to do the things I love?” A week later, I was in rehab and had a lot of time to think and even more work to get done. I am generally a very motivated and driven person and therefore had two choices: one was to sit around and feel sorry for myself and the other was to get out of my head and into “fighter” mode where I will do everything in my power to make the best of this situation. I have been raised a fighter and knew giving up was not an option. I was in an inpatient rehab facility for two months with others that had similar injuries. I never missed a day of therapy while I was there because I knew how important therapy was at this point in my life. Finding the motivation to get out of bed was very rough on several occasions, but I knew I had to do it! After the two months, I spent in an inpatient facility I went to an outpatient facility at Penn Highlands Elk in Saint Marys, PA. The staff at Penn Highlands Elk rehab went above and beyond and pushed me each day to work towards my goal of gaining independence again. When it comes down to it, therapy is the most important step to recovery in my opinion with other variables in the mix as well. How did I have this drive and determination during one of the hardest times in my life? I give my thanks to Wrestling – this is what saved me. I wrestled throughout my grade school and high school years and this is what gave me the strength to overcome and push through the toughest parts of this situation. Did I struggle? Hell yeah! I struggled every day, but I put my mind to it and tried my best to succeed in any challenges life threw at me. It wasn’t always easy, it’s still not at times but I give it my all. Tasks that were once so simple take A LOT longer to do now, that was one of the hardest things for me to get used to. When it comes down to it, it is a mind game - do you believe in yourself? The answer should always be “yes”. One of my favorite quotes is “You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward; how much you can take and keep moving forward” - Rocky.

My life on two wheels. I had been riding dirt bikes for the last 17 years of my life, I started riding when I was 10 years old. I grew up riding every day that I possibly could doing my best to get better and better. All I ever wanted to be was a professional motocross rider. I began to race when I turned the age of 18 and was working my way up through the ranks when I caught the eye of someone who wanted to see me take my riding to the next level. He was a professional freestyle motocross rider and for those who don’t know freestyle motocross doesn’t involve racing but jumping the biggest ramps that there are and doing tricks while in the air such as backflips etc. So I began to learn tricks under his wing. I was learning tricks as fast I could so that I would be able to go on the road and get paid to ride events all across the country. Traveling and riding I finally had learned enough tricks to be able to take myself to a professional level and start performing at events. I had my first major injury in Miami Florida during February of 2015. I had fractured my pelvis in the hip area. It took me about 4 months before I was able to start riding again. Then just a year later In February of 2016 I had another injury while riding an event in Minnesota. I had fractured my pelvis again but this time I broke both of my wrists to go along with it. This was a very tough injury to overcome but I never let the pain or fear of injuries keep me from living my dream. Injuries are unfortunately just part of the sport. I was back on the dirt bike and practicing for events by the month of July that same year. My final injury After my injury in 2016, I had 3 great years of traveling, riding, and making a living doing what I loved to do. But on June 2nd of 2019, my life would never be the same. I was riding an event in Indianapolis and made a mistake off the ramp that I will regret for the rest of my life. I went way too fast off the ramp, missed the landing, crashed, and broke three vertebrae. Unfortunately, one of the vertebrae hit my spinal cord and left me paralyzed from the chest down. I’ll never forget the feeling of trying to sit up and not being able to, I knew it was bad but was still staying as positive as I could in my head. I had to tell myself it’s not as bad as it seems to keep myself sane. The ambulance took me away and once I got to the hospital they did all of the Xrays and tests they could, next thing I knew I was going in for surgery. After I had woken from surgery the doctor broke the news to me that I will never walk again. I did not want to accept that and if the truth be told I still do not except that. I will fight as hard as I possibly can for the rest of my life to get out of this chair one day. This has been the hardest thing I have ever gone through. To go from being a professional athlete traveling the country and living life to the fullest to being stuck in a wheelchair was always my worst nightmare. I had always known the risk every time I threw my leg over my dirt bike to ride but never thought it would happen to me. But it did and it not only has been hard physically but also has been even harder mentally. I’ve dealt with depression for the first time in my life, had insecurities, and have had the struggle to find the strength just to get out of bed every morning. But at the end of the day, I got the opportunity to do what I loved for a living and I’ll never regret that. I’ll always do my best to keep a positive attitude towards the injury sitting around dwelling on it will never help anything. I’m happy to be alive so that I’m able to spend time with my friends and family. Never take any of that for granted cause you never know if it will be taken away. To anyone struggling with this injury or any other injury or illness, I will always say to stay as positive as you can, look to friends and family to help you through, be open about how you’re feeling, and never be afraid to seek help if you feel you need it. Things could always be worse so always make the most of what you have.

The struggle I face today My name is Anatoly and I am from Ukraine. I am 24 years old. When I was born they discovered I have a group of disabilities. I was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, paralysis, and dwarfism. On top of that my mother has mental health issues and was not able to take care of me, so I was placed in foster care and raised mostly in a type of boarding school. The chances of me surviving in this environment with my disabilities were not big. To everyone's surprise, I did survive. I always had a fighting spirit. My dream is to get a good education and become a successful member of society. And I work tirelessly. I am interested in politics and social issues. I would love to work in construction and social housing because I understand and relate to these issues. I attended countless seminars and courses organized for young leaders. I was lucky to meet many influential and successful people in Ukraine and I became an advocate for disability rights. I also participated in charity events, television programs, and shared my story and the story of people with disabilities in the media. In my country, people with disabilities do not have a lot of opportunities. It is important for me to show every person has the right to dream. People with disabilities have the ability to be what they have always dreamed of. We just need support to do so. It is important to show people that we can! Unfortunately, my work is not enough. Today I am in trouble and I am facing an impossible struggle. I'm about to lose my temporary shelter and find myself on the street. I don't have anyone to turn to. I appealed to various officials, knocked on doors, and spoke to authorities. I asked and begged, but I was not allowed to exercise my right to housing. The system let me down. The authorities see me as just another problem. They only see the disability and I am often demeaned and treated as less than a man - a cripple, a dwarf ... There is hope. I have decided to fight, once again. I decided to show that a little help and support goes a long way. I am raising money for my own housing and I have decided to show that I can achieve my dreams! I need your help to make it all come true! The first step is for me to secure a roof over my head! I will not let you down, I promise! I will do my best to justify your trust! And my mission will be to become a decision-maker who can make serious changes for people with disabilities in Ukraine. No other person should go through what I am going through. You can donate hereor directly to my account in Ukraine: 5168745015716456, Anatoliy Ivanovych Tymchuk, the account is in Privat Bank in Ukraine. You can visit my page and follow me if you like, your every like comment or repost can also help! Reach out to me if you have any questions. Help me show the world that we can! In a couple of days, I have to pay for housing. I will be grateful to everyone for any help. But my main goal is to prove in society that people with disabilities are also people. In my country, people with disabilities are treated insultingly. More than once I heard insults addressed to me. I want people with disabilities to live with all of the possibilities and without prejudice! Details of the foreign currency transfer are bellow: TYMCHUK ANATOLIY, index 01001, Ukraine, city Kyiv, street Lvivska, building 25 -Account in the recipient's bank (plastic card number or current account in PrivatBank) 4731219630345928 -Recipient's bank PRIVATBANK, 1D HRUSHEVSKOHO STR., KYIV, 01001, UKRAINE SWIFT CODE / BIC: PBANUA2X -Correspondent bank JP MORGAN CHASE BANK SWIFT CODE / BIC: CHASUS33 -Account of the recipient's bank in the correspondent bank 0011000080 -IBAN: UA983052990000026204888578337

Creating a Better World: 3 Tips for Running for Office with a Disability People with disabilities are an increasingly important voter bloc in the United States. In 2018, the disability community saw a greater spike in voter turnoutthan any other demographic. For some, this new political momentum doesn’t stop at the ballot box. People with disabilities are also running for political office in greater numbers. In addition to prominent political figures like Senator Tammy Duckworth and Governor Greg Abbott, 12 percentof local officials today have a disability. But while the political arena is growing more welcoming to people with disabilities, running for office with a disability isn’t without its challenges. Here are three tips you can use to overcome barriers and find success in your own campaign. Candidates shouldn’t hide their disabilities on the campaign trail. Not only are voters looking for authenticity from elected representatives, but disability rights are an increasingly important voter issue. Include a section on disability policy on your campaign website, ask leaders in the disability community to speak at campaign events, and use your stance on disability issues to draw a contrast between yourself and other candidates. Hire the Right Campaign Team No one can run a political campaign alone, disability or not. As soon as you decide to launch a political campaign, step one is finding the right people to work alongside you. Key members of a political campaign include: Campaign manager: Political campaigns have a lot of moving parts. A campaign manager makes sure you stay on top of it all. On smaller campaigns, the campaign manager may be a volunteer. Fundraising Director: Even a local city councilrun can cost over $10,000. The fundraising director takes on the important role of raising funds to finance your campaign. Web developer: Building a campaign website isn’t a DIY job. A web developer will ensure your website is polished before it launches and updates it as needed throughout your campaign. Smaller campaigns can keep costs low by hiring a freelance web developerthrough job boards like Upwork. Accountant or treasurer: Campaigns need someone to track all the money flowing in and out of the campaign and maintain campaign finance compliance. Again, freelancers can be a good solution to this staffing need. While these are the key roles any campaign needs to fill, larger campaigns may have many more peopleon staff, from political consultants to media strategists. Consider your budget and the size of your campaign when deciding who to hire. Invest in Digital Campaigning Digital campaigning is largely an afterthought for politicians, with many pouring their time and money into events, direct mail campaigns, and television ads instead. But for candidates with disabilities who face physical and financial barriers to traditional campaigning, the internet is a well of untapped potential. Here are three ways you can build a digital campaign: Build a campaign website: A website that educates votersabout your platform is a must for any political campaign, whether you’re running for your town mayor or state senator. Engage on social media: A social media presence is just as important, if not more so than a candidate’s website. From fundraising to live video and more there is a lot, candidates can accomplish on social media. Hold virtual campaign events: Struggling to find accessible locations for campaign events? Hold virtual fundraisers town halls, and campaign rallies to reach voters at home. Put a Spotlight on Disability Issues Candidates should also pay attention to accessibility at both in-person and online events.Ensure web content is accessible to all users, choose video conferencing platforms that are compatible with assistive technology, and offer multiple ways for attendees to participate in virtual events. By putting accessibility front and center, candidates can broaden their audience and demonstrate a commitment to diversity. Disability can be a barrier to political campaigning. It can also be an asset. Instead of letting your disability keep you out of the political spotlight, design a campaign that overcomes obstacles and draws attention to the needs — and the strengths — of the disability community. Image via Pexels

Armed Forces service Hi, I am a British military veteran. I served 10 years in the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, on operations in Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan, as well as serving overseas in Jamaica, Kenya, Canada, and the Falklands. In 2011, I was shot several times in the leg and shoulder, which resulted in me losing my right leg above the knee and part of my shoulder. Bodybuilding and Strongman After two years of rehabilitation, I was medically discharged from the Army. Since then, I have wanted to challenge myself and my disability. I competed as a Bodybuilder in 2014-2015, winning several competitions and sharing a stage with Phil Heath in America. Between 2016-2019, I competed in Disabled Strongman, winning Britain’s Strongest Disabled Man in 2016 and 2017, winning the Arnold Classic in Columbus Ohio in 2017 and 2018 and winning England’s Strongest Disabled Man in 2018. Amputee football Having achieved more than I thought possible in strength sports and wanting to be part of a team and with a football at my foot, I took up amputee football in January 2019, playing for Peterborough United and more recently, Arsenal. Winning the league title with Peterborough in my first season and being awarded player of the year. Autobiography I have since been writing a book about all of the above, which I hope to finish soon.

How can I make this change I no longer have the mindset that I did when I was younger that ‘things need to change’, but instead I now think ‘I need to help make this change’ and ‘how can I make this change?’. This is at the top of my goal – if I do something for someone, they will then do something for someone else and it will just keep going. Education to me is very important. Everyone deserves an education and no one deserves to feel like they cannot go to school because of bullying. This is something that means a lot to me and I want to try and encourage positive change to help everyone unite through community action. My vision has been for all individuals to be accepted in society for who they are. My outlook on life is - if we all embrace each other’s differences, no matter who they are the world will be a better place. I have a passion for facial equality. I campaign through my art, singing, and motivational speeches to envision a future of kindness reaching out to people in different communities cultures throughout the world. I was born with a pre-cancerous large congenital melanocytic nevus. This covered 2/3 of my face which was removed, leaving me with a lot of scarring on my face. I’m considered ‘disfigured’ by terminology under the 'Disabilities Act'. This is a term I strongly disagree with and whilst I want equality, I also advocate for facial equality. I have been severely bullied all because of the way I look. It took a long time for me to realize the good impact I could have on the world, I believed people when they told me that I was worthless, when they told me I wouldn’t be anything because of the way I looked. But throughout the years, I have learned that what we look like doesn’t define us. The only thing that can define us is our drive for change, the dreams we have, and our actions. But, throughout all of it all, we must always remain humble and true to what we believe in. Three years ago, my life changed for the better. Kinder Chocolate opened up competition in the UK, for children to send a self-portrait of themselves and if you won, then your face would appear on the chocolate bars across the UK. This really made me think...what did I see myself as? When I was in year 1, my teacher asked the class to draw themselves. I just drew a face as any child would. I didn’t see myself as different, just a round face with eyes, with a nose, with ears, a mouth, that’s it. This is how I saw myself in the mirror. But when I got slightly older and people started picking out faults they believed were wrong with my face, I then noticed lines and scars….and it made me think ‘oh I have scars’. And whilst they were telling me, these were ugly and were using these scars to make me feel bad about myself, I realized that actually these scars, were simply scars. Nothing more, nothing less. My scars simply told me and showed everyone that I have been through something, A long hard journey of countless surgeries and I am still here standing. I am a survivor, I am not a victim. So, when this competition came out, I thought‘…yeah, I have scars on my face, but this is me’…I am proud to be me. So, I entered the competition, my art piece took me 3 days. I looked at myself in the mirror and drew myself. Whilst I loved embracing me, I also felt sad, not because I didn’t like my face but because I was frustrated that I had to even experience what I did, all because I had simply scars on my face. I couldn’t understand why someone would go out of their way to say something unkind to me or pick something different about me and make me feel bad about myself. I sent it off not thinking much of it, I was just proud I drew myself…my true self…not that round head with just 2 dots as eyes, 1 dot as a nose and ears…. but me…with all my perfections and imperfections. After a couple of months, I received the news that my entry had been chosen as one of five winners in the UK. I was shocked. I couldn’t believe it. Kinder Chocolate chose my self-portrait where I embraced all my scars, and I felt so proud. I became the first-ever person in history, a person with a facial difference, on a famous chocolate bar. I couldn’t believe it. But then...something still didn’t sit right with me. When Newspapers in the UK were writing about me, I had a lot of support but then I noticed some newspapers saying ‘Birthmark boy becomes Face of Kinder’. I sat in my room repeating ‘birthmark boy’. Just in shock. Is that really what I was seen as by some? A birthmark boy? Rather than someone who has made history, I was seen as a ‘birthmark boy’. This wasn’t good enough for me. Why are we in the 21st century still being defined by the way we look? Why are we being discriminated against based on things that make us all different and unique? I don’t have the answer and I still don’t know. But this is my vision, the world needs love. This is why we are on this earth, to give our whole self to the world to make it a better place for future generations. I was inspired to change something. If you feel passionate about something, you can make that change. I want equality. This started me on my journey which is why I am privileged to be able to reach individuals through my art, singing, and speeches. I know the more people who join me on my journey, can help change the world and make the world a better place like my role model, Princess Diana. Doing art was something that I found comfort in, as I lost my voice during my ordeal with bullying. It was not just physical bullying but verbal and emotional. Art was a place that I could be myself without any prejudice. My art always has a meaning behind it, and it advocates for kindness, love, and compassion. I decided to come up with the initiative of printing my art onto thousands of cards and just handing it out to the public wherever I went. Even such a small act can have a big impact. My art has gone global, all the way to America, Greece, Australia, Dubai, and so on. This idea was so I could make people feel even a little bit better because we do not know what people go through every day in their lives. I suffer from anxiety, which was much more severe before I found coping strategies with my family. At my lowest point, even from the age of 5, I wished I was never born. But I am proud of myself, I had the courage to change my life around and know that I must be going through what I was for a reason. My ‘difference’ will not go away with age, with more surgery…it will always be there. But I am happy with that, I am proud to be me. I want to dedicate my whole life to have equality. The point in my life where everything changed, was when my mum sat me down to watch a ‘Wonderful Life’. I was only 5 but I understood the whole meaning. I just sat and cried. I felt bad that I had ever wished I wasn’t born. It really stuck with me. All our lives had a purpose and our lives should be viewed as a gift. I wanted things to change, and I realized that sometimes even the smallest of gestures can have such a big impact even if they seem small. If I wasn’t born, then I wouldn’t have ever had the chance to make that change for our world. Each and every person can have a positive impact on other persons’ life without realizing.

Celebration of Life Today is my ten-year challenge. It’s been ten years since my car accident in Australia, and I’m not sure how to feel about this fact. This waiting game we’re all playing right now couldn’t feel more familiar though. It reminds me of laying in this hospital bed for one month with anxiety and questions about my future. I look at this photo of me as a hot mess and at my absolute worst, remembering how heavy those bandages and splints weighed, and yet I can’t help but notice I’m somehow still smiling for the camera. Why? I’m pretty sure not only because my brother probably told me to say cheese, but also because I already knew at that time that life moves on. I knew I could lay there and complain all I wanted, about my derailed plans and why this happened to me, but that’d be selfish and it wouldn’t help at the end of each day. I’d still have my battle wounds to face. Of course, that’s not to say I didn’t have bad days. Because after this photo was taken, I’d have four years dedicated to a total of eleven exhausting surgeries and weekly hand therapy. But now at the ten-year mark, I’m living independently (something everyone questioned at some point), and doing vinyasa flows (yoga) with permanently injured hands. This decade taught me about RESILIENCE more than anything - how I have to accept what I can’t change, trust in patience, discover what I can do now, focus on my own path against what others hint, and always know how grateful I am, that I could’ve easily died. Let’s just say I’d rather “vinyasa“ flow with my own life’s timing to heal, grow, and be happy than rush on some master timeline for inauthenticity and unhappiness. With that said, I recently began a blog to share these thoughts. A BIG thank you to those who wholeheartedly only lit up these past years with positivity, support, and encouragement, including my AMAZING heroes of doctors and therapists. Living after surviving to the next decade. ❤️CHU #mystory

Never count yourself out My name is Troy Druppal, I was given 6 months to live in 2007 from battling terminal cancer. I had 9 tumors throughout my body, 7 in my lungs, 1 attached to my trachea, and 1 in my head. I was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma in my left humerus bone in September 2004, I underwent 9 months of intense chemotherapy followed by a bone replacement in my left arm. After finishing chemo, etc. I was in complete remission. Unfortunately, a relapse occurred in the same left arm and it needed to be amputated immediately. After my amputation I did a ton of physical and occupational therapy for months, I unfortunately developed neuropathy as well in my hand and feet so I was doing therapy for both issues. Things were going well, getting adjusted to a new way of living, and then the unthinkable happened. Once again I had another relapse happen, this time cancer spread to my lungs. I was devastated, I had successful surgery to remove the tumor. But 2 months later, once again cancer came back for the 4th time, and this time it was more aggressive, 7 tumors were found on my lungs and 1 on my trachea, during surgery after trying many times to cut the tumor off my trachea I started bleeding internally, doctors were forced to burn the tumor so I wouldn’t bleed to death, I was minutes away from not surviving. After an unsuccessful surgery, my only option at having another chance of being in remission was chemo, which I refused. I couldn’t go through that pain again. So the plan was to go back to school and get checkups every other week to monitor my health. Everything was going great for a year until yet again, for the 5th time now a tumor was found in my back of my head. I ended up experiencing radiation treatment for 2 weeks after a doctor recommended the treatment, but unfortunately, it did not help. 2 months later after a regular check-up, I was given only 6 months to live. At that time I had 9 tumors throughout my body, I did radiation, I did chemotherapy and I refused to do it again, I was told I was going to lose my strength, hearing, vision, and eventually not survive. All I wanted was to go home. Doctors let me go home and only requested that I come back for check-ups every couple weeks so that’s what I did. Years went by and I was still there getting my check-ups regularly, I was feeling good and things were going so well they kept pushing back my check-ups from every 2 weeks to every 4 weeks, to every 6 weeks, to every 8 weeks. Things couldn’t have been going any better. Fast forward to December 2018, 11 years after I was given only 6 months to live, I did the impossible and became cancer-free. It was a special, unreal moment for a long time, I went through so much but I always stayed positive and I never gave up. So what was I doing since 2007 - 2018 that kept me going and helped me beat cancer? Besides the limitless support from family and friends I give credit to basketball, I became an AAU basketball coach for 4th grade - High school, A junior NBA coach for the Golden State Warriors, recently I was nominated for junior NBA coach of the year, I adopted a vegetarian diet, I worked out every day and I stayed as positive as I possibly could. My favorite quote that I live by every single day is “ If you can stay positive in a negative situation, you win.” Never give up on yourself or your dreams. - Troy Druppal

+ a cup of positivity Hello, my name is HyeJeen from South Korea. I'm very happy to share my story with you :) When I was 7, I had a car accident. I was hit by a drunk driver and I became completely paralyzed from the chest down. After this accident, whenever I wanted to do anything I needed help for sure. Sometimes it frustrated me, but soon I became grateful and smiled again. This is a great blessing for me. After graduating from high school thanks to everyone, I stayed at the hospital for rehabilitation for about two years. Then finally I got ready to live alone. I work at a government institution as a pharmacist now. I love to travel and spend time with friends. Some people asked me if I'm not tired and distressed, of course, it's not easy. But more than that, lots of wonderful things and people I love make my life simply happy. You know, to someone who's ready to laugh, something to laugh about is coming very soon😊 Have a great day as usual!