In 2008, I fell off a balcony, suffered a compression fracture to my L1 vertebra, damaged my spinal cord, and was told I may never walk again.  Through a good bit of hard work, determination, luck, and stubbornness, I defied expectations by slowly learning to walk, building up my endurance, and eventually ditching my wheelchair for first a walker, and now crutches.

I'm about 85% paralyzed below the waist, and the only functioning muscles I have are my quadriceps, adductors (inner thighs), and hip flexors.  Everything else--my glutes, hamstrings, and everything below the knees--is completely paralyzed, and I wear AFO ankle braces to keep my feet from dropping.

I've had to undergo several surgeries since my injury, particularly in combatting muscle contractures in my feet, not to mention a few toe amputations thanks to bone infections, and I have metal rods holding my spine together.

Despite all of this, in the eight years since my injury, I've traveled to forty countries across six continents, through snow, ice, sand, and mud, up rocky cliffs and down into underground mines. But if there's one thing I haven't done, it's push my legs through a race, on flat land, for 10 kilometers/6.2 miles without stopping...

So on September 4th, I will be participating in Parallel London, the world's first fully-inclusive push/run for people of all abilities.  I'll be there--on crutches, 80% paralyzed below the waist--to do my part in breaking barriers, changing perceptions, and raising money for the fight against Spinal Cord Injuries. 

It might take me all day to do it, but I'm determined to get to that finish line without any form of piggy-backing and hopefully without stopping! And who knows, if this turns out all right, I might just set my sights on even bigger goals in the future!

I would love and appreciate it if you show your support by sponsoring me in my quest to raise money for Spinal Research.  Let's work together to find a cure for this life-changing injury!