After my spinal cord injury in 1973 my biggest fear and concern was not getting my legs back. Sounds weird? I was told early on by a hospital acute care aid that I probably would neither be able to have kids nor walk again. He spoke out of turn and my father later had that guy pinned up against the wall for telling me that. Well, I was certainly crushed by the news, like my spinal cord. My foxhole prayer to my God was that if he was going to take my legs, please ‘Lord let me have children!" I prayed this over and over as I laid in my hospital bed at Rancho Los Amigos Hospital in Southern California. Why I felt that way back then, I’m still not sure. I had a constant vision of being a father, having a beautiful wife and become a parent and yes, even a grandparent at the age of 19. So, after my 4 month stay in prison, aka rehab lol I was turned loose on the world with a new life in front of me. A life I was petrified and uncertain about. In the prison rehab, I was safe and protected. I didn’t want to leave as I had no confidence at all and especially with girls or women.
I began wheelchair bowling in 2004 as a recreational activity. Little did I know how this sport would help build health/wellness and most importantly community within my life. I joined the American Wheelchair Bowling Association (AWBA) after being a spectator at the 2005 Las Vegas Invitational and became a lifetime member in 2012. Over the years, I’ve enjoyed bowling in as many tournaments as possible across the country. While serving on the Board of Directors with the AWBA, I have developed a strong appreciation for the sport of bowling, as well as the competition, relationships, and opportunities the AWBA provides.
Some of you might remember the time when we ran a photo contest, but most of you probably won't! Back in 2014, we decided to organize a photo contest with the theme, Adapt.Believe.Compete., ABC Medical's tagline, in partnership with our friend Ather Sharif from SCI Video Blog.
Why? Well, why not! But, we had a pretty good reason to do it. As you know, we work with thousands of adaptive athletes across the country, who adapt. believe and compete on a daily basis. We wanted to share a snippet of their lives through photos, because as we all know, "an image is worth a 1,000 words!"
J Dee Marinko, ABC Medical scholarship recipient writes about his experience at the ParaLong Drive Championships in 2014.
Yes!!! Adaptive cheerleading, in other words, cheerleading in a wheelchair does exist AND IT'S PURE AWESOMENESS. We even have an awesome new name for it: CheerAbility!
When I think of all the gifts I take for granted I guess the list is fairly extensive. I’m sure I am not alone in this regard as the things we would hold so dearly are often over looked in our day to day lives. As I write this blog I am reminded of how important my senses are.
The University of Alabama played two games on Saturday, December 3rd at the Top End Invitational at Shelton State Community College. The women played the first game at noon against the ABC Medical Crimson Stars. It was an aggressive battle, but the Crimson Stars came out victorious with a 67 to 53 win. At 6, the Alabama men played the Lakeshore Storm in a game that kept the crowd on the edge of their seats. After trading baskets for most of the game, the Alabama men ended the game with just a three point lead over the Storm. The final score of the men’s game was 55 to 52.
With this tournament, the University of Alabama is excited to start what will be a new annual tradition from now on.
Raising a child is not an easy task. It never was and it never will be, which is why being a parent is considered to be one of the most special and life changing experiences of our lives. It requires patience, sacrifice and tons of love and care. When it comes to raising a child with a disability, the tasks may seem to have doubled or the risks may seem higher, but overall it is mostly our attitude that will help us get through the day and night and have a happy and healthy family. For this blog post, we spoke to several super parents, who have children ranging from 6 to 15 years old. We simply wanted to collect insights into the lives of families with children with a disability. They all shared their advice and gave examples of how they manage to do it. Below are 6 simple ways for you to keep your sanity as a super parent and rock it!
