Turlock man back to defend gold at wheelchair games

Three weeks after the auto accident, Joe Velasquez remained in his hospital bed in Pocatello, Idaho. His neck was broken, his spinal cord severely damaged, and he was connected to a respirator, unable to move.

It was no way to spend the Christmas season of 1983, not with a wife and two children at home.

One morning, Velasquez became aware of two doctors at the foot of his bed discussing his condition.

“They didn’t know I could hear them, but they were saying to each other that I was going to be that way for the rest of my life,” Velasquez said. “I couldn’t move, but I could hear them. Continue Reading »

Spinal injury not stopping Plum City man

PLUM CITY – It only takes a few minutes of conversation with Gordy Luebker to realize his determination to full recovery from a spinal cord injury.

And one glance at the list of activities supporters and volunteers have lined up for an Aug. 2 benefit on Luebker’s behalf says a lot about how others feel about him and his family.

“Every time I’m out, I have someone stopping me, asking, ‘What can I do to help? What can I donate?’ The response has been just phenomenal,” said Kim Sweeney, a longtime family friend who has been instrumental in the fundraising event. Continue Reading »

Wheelchair-Bound Coach Ricker Still Sharing Knowledge

The sound of basketballs rhythmically hitting the gym floor filled the inside of Eastview Recreation Center.

In one corner, a man’s face familiar to basketball fans here in Greene County could be seen talking to a group of young ladies. They were gathered around him, all listening intently to what he had to say.

For more than twenty years, Coach Larry Ricker has been spending a portion of his summers teaching, encouraging, and instilling the game of basketball into young Greene County athletes. The exception was last year when the coach was continuing to recover from a tragic accident that nearly cost him his life. Continue Reading »

Blackwell continues pursuit of dream to walk again

Three years have passed since Tara Blackwell had her life altered in a split-second of tragedy.

She has clung to hope. She has been fueled by hope. Now, for the first time since her paralyzing injury, Blackwell is ready to turn hope into a dramatic progression.

Blackwell, 23, a Pine Forest High graduate and former standout softball player at Troy University, is preparing to travel to Germany on Aug. 9 for the first phase of a stem-cell procedure that could enable her to regain movement. Continue Reading »

Colours Wheelchair Paraplegic Athlete Ricky James to Compete on His Adapted Motocross Bike at X Games 14

Ricky James, 19 years old from Murrieta, Ca. has been selected to compete in a new exhibition sport “Adaptive Motox” at X Games 14 in Carson California on August 1, 2008.

James suffered a spinal cord injury in a motocross crash in 2005 leaving him a Paraplegic at the age of 16. Ricky did not let his injury stop him from doing what he loved most. Barely 6 months after his injury Ricky started designing adaptive components that would allow him to ride his dirt bike again. Along with fellow paraplegic Brad Meinzer from ParaPro’s Racing, the two developed a sophisticated system that would not only allow him to ride but also to race. Ricky competed in the 2007 SCORE Baja 500 along with 3 other able bodied members of his team and completed his grueling 120 mile leg of the race in just over 4 hours. Continue Reading »

Mannford student struggling to recover from paralysis

MANNFORD — In most ways, Meagan Waffle is a typical teenager. She laughs a lot, talks about boys, loves her friends, and is constantly interrupted by cell phone rings and text messages on her cell phone. But Meagan stands out in a significant way. For the past 21/2 years, she has been navigating her life from a wheelchair.

But don’t feel sorry for Meagan. With an attitude that belies her 16 years, Meagan faces everyday challenges with grace and dignity — and without self-pity. Her confidence has enabled her family to cope with an incident that changed their lives forever.

“Deep down in my heart, I know I’m going to walk again. I just wish there was a cure now,” she said. Continue Reading »

Kevin Everett recovers, reaches out

Mornings are the worst time for Kevin Everett. That’s when the pain is at its most intense, when he’s reminded that things probably will never be the way they once were.

“I’m still faced with challenges,” he said. “I pray every day that things will get better. I’ve got to cope with ‘em the best way I can in everyday life.”

He knows he shouldn’t complain. Lord knows, it could have been so much worse. He thanks God every day that he can walk and talk and do the things thousands of others can’t. Therein lines the contradiction.

“I want people to know I’m blessed,” he said. “You’ve got to maintain your faith in the good times and the bad.” Continue Reading »

One man’s quest to walk again

Editor’s note: Paralysis after a spinal cord injury brings wrenching decisions: Do you accept it as permanent and adapt, or do you refuse to resign yourself? John and Marci Pou took the latter course after his accident, embarking on an arduous quest for Rehabilitation, recounted in a three-part serial narrative. Part I tells how the couple chose to gamble on a different kind of therapy. First of three parts.

It was only a chair, but it had become his purgatory.

Each day that John Pou spent in the wheelchair, his spirit seemed to die a little more. It was a perpetual reminder of the calamity that had brought him and Marci, even the kids, to this place. Continue Reading »

Everett’s Recovery Is a ‘Blessing’

Tight End Much Improved After Spinal Cord Injury

BALTIMORE, March 11 — The black tuxedo was handsomely tailored, and the burgundy vest was a nice touch. The black shoes were polished perfectly, and the sunlight streaming in from a nearby window shone brightly off the diamonds in the watch on his left wrist.

But none of that stood out about Kevin Everett on this evening.

It was the walk.

It has been six months since Everett, as a reserve tight end for the Buffalo Bills playing on the kickoff coverage unit, suffered a severe spinal cord injury while making a tackle during a game against the Denver Broncos on the opening weekend of the NFL season. Continue Reading »

Determined to Recover

Every once in a while, a story reaches out and inexplicably grabs a hold of you. I was surfing the 2008 mountain bike models at Giant’s site I came across a link called Heart of a Champion. I followed the link and it led me to a blog detailing the great recovery efforts that Tara Llanes is making against spinal cord injuries she sustained during the Jeep King of the Mountain series on September 1st, 2007.

Editor’s note: “On Saturday September 1, 2007, Tara had a horrible crash at the Jeep King of the Mountain series finale in Beaver Creek Colorado. During a semi-final heat with the eventual race winner, Jill Kintner, Tara entered the second to last straight on the course and hit an obstacle that sent her over the handlebars, coming down hard on her head then back. Continue Reading »