LIVE QUICKIE BLOG

Two years after I had decided that I was going to be a Paralympian no matter what it took, I got the first opportunity I was looking for. After hours in the gym every day and applying to colleges with wheelchair basketball teams so I could get quality coaching, I earned a full-ride scholarship to the University of Illinois and made their team. This was a huge step on the road to Rio.

It has been 10 years since I was in that motorcycle accident that left me paralyzed from the waist down. I was 18 when that happened, and I had no idea what the future held. But if you were to ask me back then if I thought I would be where I am today: graduated with a Master's degree in social work and about to start working towards my dream job of becoming an Assistive Technology Professional, along with having won a Gold Medal in the Paralympics...I would have said yes. Being the best that I can be, whatever it is that I do, is the driving force inside of me.

There is no greater feeling of anticipation than sitting in a ready position at the starting line of a dragon boat race. Our paddlers are leaning forward, eyes locked straight ahead, paddles deep in the water waiting for the sound of the air horn to ring through the air. Our steersman is crouched and ready to steer a straight line. Our drummer waits for the signal. "We have alignment! Sterns ready! Attention!"

As a parent to a child who uses a wheelchair, I was honored to be asked to write a blog for LiveQuickie. I asked a few times what I should write about? Some of the suggestions included advice to other parents, Talia's story, traveling, traditions, basically anything I wanted. I agreed that telling my daughter Talia's story was the best way to begin.

I've walked across Death Valley, biked in three Los Angeles marathons, and pedaled my way across the country twice. These athletic feats would be considered amazing accomplishments for most people. But for me? I was told by doctors that I had a one-in-a-million chance of ever feeding myself after a motocross accident left me paralyzed with a severe spinal cord injury at the age of 20. These accomplishments take on a whole new meaning and, in reflection, are mind-blowing to think about.