KANSAS CITY, Mo. — September is Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month. About 200,000 people in the United States are affected, including metro man Adam Lane.
Ever since a motorcycle accident seven years ago, Lane has had to learn how to navigate life on another set of wheels. When he’s not driving, Lane is rolling. It’s a skill he learned after his accident.
“The bike threw me and I went head first into a 4×4 sign post,” he explained.
Lane’s back snapped and he became paralyzed from the waist down. He’s had to find mobility another way.
“I’ve had people come up to me and say, ‘Oh, it’s so good to see you out.’ It’s like, where am I supposed to be?” he said.
It’s been an adjustment. He normally stands at 6’4, but when sitting Lane barely tops four feet. The height he lacks is no hindrance to his abilities. Lane is a triathlete, world traveler and a yogi.
“Just because you’re in a wheelchair, it doesn’t mean your life is awful or terrible,” he affirmed.
But there are difficulties doing every day things. Cracks on sidewalks turn into obstacle courses and grocery shopping becomes a mental game.
“I’ve had debates sitting at the grocery store, do I really need that?” he said as he reached for something in the air.
But perhaps the hardest question he asks himself is something we all ponder.
“What do I make for dinner?” he said.
“I have a pretty normal life today. I’m not suffering form a spinal cord injury. I have a spinal cord injury that affected my life.”
by Judy Le
