When I was 18 years old I had an accident at a beach in Southern California. Just like any other day at the beach I decided to run out and dive into a wave, expecting to pop out the back side. Instead, I smacked my head into a sandbar and went completely numb from my neck all the way down to my toes. After holding my breath for as long as I could I started to swallow "clean" sea water and life started to slip away. Fortunately, my friend on the beach screamed for help and some individuals walking nearby came to my aid, pulling me out of the water. To this day my family believes those individuals were my guardian angels.

When the lifeguard & paramedics showed up and the helicopter landed on Pacific Coast Highway, stopping traffic, I knew that I was in bad shape. I was soon off to UCLA Medical Center in a first class helicopter for reasons unimaginable. After being poked and prodded in the emergency room and waking up from a 16 hour surgery I came to find out that I had fractured the fifth cervical vertebra on my spinal cord. As a result I became an incomplete quadriplegic, paralyzed from the chest down. I was confused, mad and I could not accept my new reality. I was embarking on a new journey with an array of obstacles and challenges ahead.

I still tear up when I look back and reflect on the past twenty years, but they are for the most part tears of joy. Whatever obstacle my injury threw in front of me I would take a deep breath and say "OK lets figure this out!" With unconditional love from family & friends I had the support system in place to emotionally move on. And with the willingness to work hard and never give up, I was able to achieve the tasks that I set out to accomplish. The ride is far from over, but my hope is that I can help others who are struggling with their spinal cord injury. I have learned many things in my journey for independence including patience, a strong work ethic and to not let the little things get you down. My injury does not define me, but it does remind me every day of how precious life is and how easy it is to take things for granted.  

A few years ago I started the company abilitease with the vision to develop product solutions for individuals with disabilities. I want to make products that not only help people be more independent, but I also want to make them appealing and not institutional.

Currently I am creating a YouTube channel to show videos of the different techniques and products that I use for all of my daily tasks.  I hope that the videos will help others and also spark a dialogue that will foster new independence solutions.