Editor’s Note: When a tree-cutting accident in 2010 led to broken bones, a separated shoulder, and a punctured aorta, it seemed that Arthur Torrey had miraculously escaped any spinal cord damage. However, after undergoing emergency surgery to patch up his aorta, he woke up a paraplegic. Describing himself as a tool geek, handyman, and heavy […]
Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this post may have left the impression that Barbara Cramer won several medals at the Paralympic Games. Wheel:Life was not able to verify this information, so it has been removed. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused. All other information contained in this article is the opinion of Cramer herself. […]
Editor’s Note: When wheelchair user Tony Jackson’s original career plan didn’t work out, he went back to school to pursue broadcast journalism at Arizona State University. However, finding a job post-graduation, even after having gained valuable experience with the campus radio station, proved arduous. Joining a power soccer team a few years later would open […]
Editor’s Note: A Texas coast native, David Gaston has been in and around the water his whole life. Obtaining his scuba certification at the age of 13 and then working as a commercial diver in the oil fields just out of high school, Gaston turned his passion for all things aquatic into a career. After […]
When life-long dancer Beverly Weurding was diagnosed with limb-girdle muscular dystrophy at the age of 55, she thought her days of doing the rumba and cha-cha would soon be over. Not ready to put away her dancing shoes, she was determined to find a way to continue and help other wheelchair users experience the same […]
Editor’s Note: Johnny Hudson was born in 1977 with unforeseen severe physical abnormalities. Upon giving birth, his mother was told by her doctors that she’d be better off signing her child over to them and going home. She disagreed, checked herself out of the hospital, took her baby home, and raised him like any other […]
Editor’s Note: Peter Arballo was born in Southern California to Mexican migrants. At the age of 10, his father left, and his mom took on the full responsibility of raising seven children alone. Arballo shared his story with Wheel:Life, including how he was injured and how wheelchair sports saved him from continuing down a dark […]
Editor’s Note: Michael Johnson of Lansing, Michigan, started racing motorcycles with his father when he was only three years old. In 2005, he suffered a traumatic accident in which he broke his back during a race, leaving him paralyzed from the mid-chest down. After adjusting to his new normal, he found his way back to […]
Editor’s Note: Sled hockey (also known as sledge hockey) is almost identical to ice hockey aside from players being seated in bladed sleds. Using two sticks with integrated metal teeth, players push and pull themselves across the ice. Wheel:Life caught up with Steve Kozlowski, the Grand Rapids Sled Wings junior coach, who grew up playing […]
My name is Allen Beauchamp, and I'm 43 years old. I live in a town called Negaunee, in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. After graduating from high school in 1991, I spent a few years working at a local tire shop. Then, I decided to enlist in the US Navy. I served for a few years as […]
