I wanted to share that I was recently on a podcast! It is an occupational therapy themed podcast called On the Air. It can be streamed or found on the Podcast app. It is Episode 16: Disability Justice and Adaptive Sports. I was able to talk about my path to becoming an occupational therapist, hand therapy, and my passion for disability justice and adaptive sports.
I am getting behind in my blog posts. Although not a bad problem to have, I have had too many adventures to keep up with lately! About a year and a half ago, I was looking for my next project when I thought of how cool it would be to return to New York to accomplish the prestigious New York City marathon. I grew up in New York and lived there until age 26 as an able bodied person, and I thought it would be powerful and healing to tour the streets by hand cycle. Even with these high expectations, my mind was completely blown by the actual experience.
It is competitive and difficult to get one of the 50,000 spots to run the marathon. To get a coveted spot, I joined the Achilles Foundation and was entered into a lottery for a hand cycle spot. Although I suspect it is easier to get in as a hand cyclist than an able bodied runner, it still brought tears to my eyes when I found out I had won a spot. I began looking for an “able-bodied” friend to help me accomplish the task. I would have to get my hand cycle around New York, from the airport, to the start line, etc. My good friend Anna answered the call. Although paraplegic herself, she has more function than me and we believed it was possible to do it ourselves. When our friend Ashley decided to join us, I was psyched. This would be my first experience traveling with two other disabled women, and to New York! Right in the city, this would be the ultimate adventure!
We arrived in New York after a red eye flight and the adventure started right away. “Where is the shuttle to the rental cars?” I innocently asked, and was returned with a laugh from security. “There is no shuttle, you have to take the AirTrain or a taxi.” When I sheepishly relayed this news to Anna, she took it with a smile. She took out a carabiner and hooked the bike piled high with luggage to the back of her wheelchair and started towing.
We had such an incredible trip to New York and the marathon was just the cherry on top. One day, we wheeled over 8 miles around the city, including across the Brooklyn Bridge. We stayed by the High Line park, which did not exist yet when I lived in New York, and explored it day and night!
We went to my old stomping grounds, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where we were given the royal treatment and behind the scenes tour of the Arms and Armor Department, where I used to work. It was so fun for me to show my friends around NYC for their first time. It helped me to see it from new eyes. By the time I moved away from New York, I was so jaded that I no longer appreciated it. Although so glad I made it to the west coast, I can finally appreciate the city for what it is and take advantage of what it offers while visiting. Like the amazing food, for example! So good!
The race day itself was incredible. Imagine… 15,000 volunteers alone to support the race. That is not counting the thousands of people lining the route to cheer and support the runners. There were over 200 adaptive competitors. I have done marathons before, but I am usually the only person in the adaptive category! I received so much energy from those cheering along the route… from complete strangers to my actual family members (thank you Uncle Stephen, Kasey, and Anthony!) that I was able to pedal so much faster than I expected. My goal was to complete the race in under 4 hours, and I finished in 3 hours and 5 minutes! 4th place in the women’s hand cycle category.
Here are some views from the adaptive staging area and the starting line on the Verazzano Bridge:
The evening of the marathon we found ourselves in a bar, by chance seated next to a group of musicians playing beautiful, live, Irish music. Afterwards, the violinist stood up and made his way over to us with an obvious disability swagger. He has cerebral palsy and we ended up having a great conversation about disability justice and the difficulties of living in NYC with a disability. Throughout the trip, multiple people approached us and asked if we were there for the marathon. At first, this excited me because I am not used to being seen at first glance as an athlete. However, I then began to question, what does this mean about the (in)visibility of those with disabilities in NYC? One of the biggest challenges is the public transportation. When we took the bus, we were told we could not ride together because there are only two disabled spots per bus, so we had to split up. Another time, we took the subway to a station did not have an elevator on the platform. Even with experience, looking for accessible options with public transportation is confusing at best.
Still, it will be remembered as one of the greatest trips and experiences of my life. Eye opening, exhilarating, and delicious. I am so grateful to Ashley and Anna for being with me, as well as friends and family that came to see me while there. I love you all and carry you with me always even though I have moved to the best coast 😉
Delirium
It has been over a year since I updated this blog, mostly because I have been working full time as a hand therapist! However, I have had an absolutely amazing year full of rad adventures, culminating in the completion of the NYC marathon this November. Many people have asked about my training for this so I thought I would give an update on what I have been up to leading up to the big event.
I have been seeing a personal trainer once a week but as far as biking goes I have not had a specific training program. I have just been trying to get on my bike(s) whenever I can! I really enjoy doing long distances/bike tours so my goals for this past summer to get ready for the marathon were to do two Bike MS rides which are usually 2 days each and a variety of distances. I planned to do Bike MS Willamette Valley in Oregon in August and Bike MS Deception Pass in Washington in September. I also had a surprise bike adventure in between them which was to see the eclipse in central Oregon! To top it off, I went to Bend for the first annual Cascade Crankfest, a series of off road hand-cycle rides and a race in the first hand cycle division of the popular Cyclocross race in Bend.
Bike MS Willamette Valley- August 5-6, 2017
My friend Claire and I did two days of cycling in Oregon’s wine country, about 20-25 miles a day. We had a blast enjoying the tranquil scenery and tasting the delicious wines with a spectacular wildfire induced sunset.
The high point of this summer and possibly my life had to be seeing a total solar eclipse in my beloved central Oregon. There was tons of hype leading up to it, with fears of traffic jams and food and gas shortages, to say the least. However, my buddy Fletcher and I had the trip of a lifetime with very few snags along the way. The path of totality centered over Madras, Oregon, about an hour from Bend. We heard that there was a big difference between seeing even 98% of the eclipse and a total eclipse, so we were committed to getting in its path. Because of threats of traffic, we decided to bike 25 miles that morning from Bend to Terrebonne so that we could see about 2 minutes of total eclipse. The ride was unfortunately about 25 miles downhill to Terrebonne and 25 miles uphill back, but we were going to make it work. Never mind that I had never biked more than 35 miles in a day!
The photos I have from that day do not do it justice. The epic adventure of the day- a full day of biking from sun up to sun down, would have been enough to make an awesome experience I would remember for a long time to come. But, to top it all off, the experience of the eclipse was mind blowing! It took about an hour for the sun to be eclipsed by the moon, and another hour to come back. But the two minutes of magic when the world went dark at 10 am were life changing. We found a great spot overlooking Smith Rock with about 50 other people. A family next to us had travelled from England to see it. I am so glad we decided to be with others, because the collective excitement just heightened the experience. There is a long lead up to the event, during which you have to keep the eclipse glasses on so as to not burn your retinas. But at the moment when the sun is covered, you can take them off and look directly at the most beautiful thing you have ever seen. Right before it happened, I could see a wall of darkness coming towards me like a thunderstorm cloud. It got cold and dark. It looked like a sunset, but the colors were 360 degrees around me. The sun became black and was surrounded by a ring of light, and I could see the swirling atmosphere of the sun extending out like tentacles. I could not help myself from exclaiming over and over again, “oh my god” and grabbing Fletcher’s arm. I wanted to be totally present for the experience, but I did snap this photo as it began to get lighter:
All I have to say is, if you ever get the experience to see a total eclipse, do it! I am hooked and plan on seeing the next one in Argentina in 2019 and the US in 2024.
I realized that this journey to see the eclipse is like a metaphor for how I live my life. Many people thought I was crazy for filling my car with gasoline and food for potential disaster on my way to see this total eclipse. Many were satisfied with avoiding trading and seeing the 90-98 percent eclipse anywhere from Tacoma to Bend. My quest for totality extends into all areas of my life, from career to home base to relationships. I am not willing to settle for 90 percent in this life, I am going for the total, mind blowing, full experience!
Bike MS Deception Pass, September 9-10, 2017
Karin and I did this Bike MS ride for the second year in a row, but this year was ground breaking for me. I set a goal of biking 50 miles on day two, and I am so glad that Karin was up for the challenge! It was more miles in a day than either of us had ever rode. Since the course was mostly flat, I was hopeful I could complete it. I am especially proud because I biked the whole distance without any physical assistance. It was an awesome day- I seemed to have blocked out any memories of pain ;). We finished after the closing of the course, so we were accompanied at the end by the sweep vehicle. I thought the finish line would probably be down by the time we got there, but it was just the opposite: every volunteer for the event was lined up at the finish line to cheer us in. It was an extremely emotional moment for me as I had set this high goal last year and was able to achieve it with the support of Karin and a bunch of strangers. Thank you to everyone who donated to the MS Society allowing me to do both of these rides!
Cascade Crankfest
The first annual Cascade Crankfest in Bend, Oregon was a total success. Hand cyclists came from Idaho, Montana, California, and Washington to participate. The pictures from this day tell it all, Oregon Adaptive Sports shuttled us to the top of an amazing trail with wide banked turns and challenging but do-able terrain.
After finishing this ride, we rushed over to the Old Mill District in Bend to compete in the first ever hand-cycle division of the crazy Cyclocross race Deschutes Brewery puts on. It was a blast. I am so proud of my friend Anna for beating most of the boys!
I just wanted to share on this blog an interview and article published earlier this year by Mary Creighton of Mythogynist Media. I feel really good about this piece because I got the opportunity to express many of my thoughts and feelings about my experience with disability.
Mythogynist Media-The Adaptive Spirit
This piece was then adapted for Disabled Sports USA’s Challenge Magazine and it can be seen in the summer issue:
Challenge Magazine- Summer 2017
I have not been blogging much over the past two years because I have been working on my master’s degree in occupational therapy. Well, I am happy to say that I graduated on May 15, 2016! This very nearly coincided with the 5 year anniversary since my accident. To celebrate these milestones, I took an amazing, emotionally charged, adventure-filled road trip! I have had about 6 weeks off before I start 6 months of fieldwork to complete my OT education. 
Immediately after graduation I got in a car and drove to Moab, UT for Moab Mania, an off-road hand cycling trip organized by Telluride Adaptive Sports. My mom came along for the road trip and it was great to see this part of the world anew through her eyes, as she had never seen anything like it before. I will always have a special connection to this area and I am glad I get to keep coming back. As usual, the participants on the trip were me and a bunch of guys, but they were all really kind and interesting characters! I enjoyed getting to know each of them and I learned a lot from them about biking and life. It was awesome to see a group of 7 off-road hand cycles together, even if they left me in their dust!
On the final day, one of the hand cyclists actually stayed behind to ride with me. He rode in front and waited for me to keep up during the entire trail. I am so grateful for this as I learned so much about technique and what the off-road hand cycle can do. I tried so much harder because I knew if he could do it, it was possible. This trip got me thinking about how the expectations of society or those surrounding us unconsciously affect us, even if unspoken. We rise or fall to whatever expectations the people around us have, and this can especially effect those living with disabilities. I realized that I am able to accomplish so much more while surrounded by those who expect nothing less than awesomeness from me.
After Moab I drove down to Flagstaff to spend a few days with my amazing friend Montana. On the way we stopped at the Wupatki National Monument and biked 20 miles downhill under the light of the full moon. We transitioned through many different environments, from tall pine trees at the top of the mountain to open plains at the bottom. I was unable to take any pictures but I know this is a memory I will have for a lifetime as one of the most incredible experiences I have ever had! I then spent a freezing night sleeping in Montana’s van, which warmed my heart because of course I like that kind of stuff.
I took a day to drive up to the Grand Canyon by myself. This was exactly what I needed to reflect upon the last 5 years. I hiked a trail called the “Million Year Trail,” representing the time it took for the 5000 foot deep Grand Canyon to be carved. Each yard was marked with increasing increments of time, helping the mind to even begin to conceive of that much time. 5 years was at the very beginning, which helped me to put in perspective how small my injury and my lifetime is, compared with humanity, this earth, and this universe.
I then spent some time with my old friends and family in Carlsbad, California. I had a great time, but had a lot of mixed emotions approaching my 5 year anniversary and being where I lived right before my injury. My friends swear that a lot has changed, but I found myself on the same dance floor of the same bar we partied at nights before my injury- the last time I danced on my two legs. As happy as I am today, I realize that grief over this injury is something that will resurface throughout my life. I have gained so much through this experience, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t lost some things. Even now, I feel like I am exposing a weakness by admitting this. The key, I have learned, is to not dwell on the loss, but to focus on the positive thoughts that serve you better. Everyone has to deal with this, but I find it hard to accept that I won’t get to do all the things in this life! I made a decision, and my life went in this direction. This is life 🙂
“Live your life so that the fear of death can never enter your heart … Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and in the service of your people…
Always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend, even a stranger, when in a lonely place. Show respect to all people and grovel to none. When you arise in the morning give thanks for the food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself…
When it comes your time to die, be not like those whose lives are filled with the fear of death, so that when time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song and die like a hero going home.”
– Native american wisdom, attributed to Tecumseh
I am so grateful for the recent opportunity to travel internationally for the first time since my injury. Travel has been such an important part of my life, so I can’t describe the excitement I felt as I boarded the 9.5 hour flight to Santiago, Chile, on a continent I have never touched. I felt excited rather than scared because I had my friend Devin to travel with, one of the most solid guys I have ever met. Amping up the excitement was the fact that we were traveling to the Chilean Andes in South America to ski in *our* summertime, and that we were meeting a group of adaptive athletes organized by Telluride Adaptive Sports.
This trip ended up to be challenging in a lot of unexpected ways. I got sick, fell a lot (on and off the slopes), and constantly battled my ego because of not skiing as well as I would have liked. But the trip was made worthwhile by the people I met along the way, especially the 6 veterans that were the other athletes on this trip.
The military is something I have avoided thinking about for much of my life. Even though I saw the Twin Towers fall when I lived in New York, I have opposed and even protested against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Not that I am proud of this, but I pictured everyone in the military as narrowly as American Sniper portrayed Chris Kyle, as people from the middle of the country singularly motivated to protect and defend America against the “other.” I went into the trip excited to have my preconceptions dispelled, and they were. I saw that veterans and people in the military are as varied and complex as the general population. I also witnessed what I knew to be true, the amazing healing power of skiing after a traumatic experience. I was touched by each and every one of these men and I am incredibly grateful to them, but I will respect their privacy and leave it at that. If any of you are reading this, thank you for putting your life on the line, for letting me ask questions, and for letting me in on *some* of your jokes.
I was also grateful to have the presence of an amazing woman on the trip, Sheila. She was so humble that I was constantly blown away at how cool she was as the details of her life were slowly revealed throughout the week. After running a ranch in Colorado for many years, she now works at the airport so she can travel the world. She has a wonderful family and passion for life that I would aspire to. Thank you, Sheila, for all the tea, wonderful chats, and for teaching me gin rummy!
Thanks again to Devin for being an awesome travel partner and to Tim from Telluride Adaptive Sports for organizing the trip! I’ll let the pictures speak for the rest.
Late one winter night, probably while avoiding schoolwork, I stumbled upon information about the Olympic Discovery Trail, 120 miles of paved bike trail across the Olympic Peninsula in northwest Washington. The seed was planted. It has been so awesome to watch this idea grow, evolve, and bloom into one of the most amazing trips of my entire life.
It is important for me to set crazy goals and work towards them, but this trip wouldn’t have happened the way it did if I hadn’t met Josh at an adaptive sports event. Not only was he “in” almost right away, he asked the important question, “When?” and we nailed down the dates! By the time the date rolled around, we had 8 friends committed to riding with us and helping us make it happen over 4 days. There were so many beautiful parts of this trip, but I think the greatest part was this amazing group of people!
There were plenty of insightful conversations, goofiness, and of course adventure. The 120 mile paved bike trail advertised online is in reality only half done! There was an entire spectacular day of riding on a designated bike trail, and the rest of the time was on a combination of roads, gravel, or dirt.
When we reached Lake Crescent on day 3, we had the choice to take an unpaved, dirt trail north of the lake, or the winding and shoulder-less Highway 101 to the south. This decision happened to fall on Sunday afternoon when many of our group had to head home. Three women stepped up to the task of taking the unknown dirt trail to the north, Elise, Karin, and Kira. We had no idea what lay in front of us.
It began harmlessly and just as we began to pat ourselves on the back for making this excellent choice, the trail steeply descended. Our friends carefully carried Josh and I individually over rocks and roots. My extremely low handcycle bottomed out on every little thing. After a short time, we felt that we must go forward because returning the way we came seemed unimaginable. Around every bend seemed to be worse and worse obstacles. Josh and I were completely reliant on our friends to get us out of there safely. Admittedly, I felt exhilaration coursing through my bloodstream. It was the feeling I had been addicted to while climbing, that of encountering the unknown.
The trail got narrower and narrower, and dropped down steeply into the water on one side. At one point it appeared to peter out entirely but thankfully, it continued. I unfortunately don’t have pictures of the worst of it; I was holding my breath as my friends lifted Josh after carrying me through a sketchy section. After miles of this, I was so grateful I kissed the pavement when I finally reached it! I feel much closer to Elise, Karin, and Kira, these strong women that kept calm and strong under a lot of pressure.
Because of them Josh, Elise and I are able to feel like we completed the Olympic Discovery Trail and we all have memories that we will cherish for a lifetime!
I had a lot of time to think, and I spent a lot of time thinking silly thoughts about who was my “hero” of the trip. Originally, I thought it would be Josh, who was paralyzed just months ago in an ice climbing accident. He is so strong, physically and mentally, and has thrown himself fully into adaptive sports and is open to whatever opportunities arise in this life as a paraplegic.
And then there was John, Josh’s ICU nurse who later became his friend. He signed on at the last minute, and being that he recently hurt his wrist, he was happy to drive the support van for the entire trip! A photographer and an all around godsend, he popped out at random locations throughout the day taking pictures or handing out pepperoni pizza, ice cream, and other much needed treats.
There was Kira, my friend from school who drove up from Portland for this trip. This super-human woman pushed me for miles, either running next to me or jumping off her bike to push if a hill got too steep. She would throw huge boulders off of the trail like a beast, and all with incredible stoke and a smile on her face like this:
Another person who brought incredible energy to the trip was my friend Karin from school. She was goofy and exuberant, as well as strong. I am grateful to feel closer to Karin and Elise, classmates that I hardly knew, after our adventure around the lake.
Elise! This friend from school had ridden a max of 12 miles before this trip and kept warning me that she might not be able to hang. After riding over 25 miles a day for 3 days she decided to extend her trip so she could complete the entire Discovery Trail. It was so awesome watching her surprise herself with this physical feat!
And there was Seth, my friend from Bend who drove over 7 hours to ride with us for the weekend! Having skied and biked with Seth in Bend, I know how calm under pressure and ingenious he is. I was so glad he came!
Chad and Emily, Josh’s friends and new friends of mine, were always there offering assistance or refreshment, including a Moscow mule at the end of the day complete with copper cup. These two are obviously pros that camp in style!
And now, I am preparing for the greatest adventure of all, a ski trip to Chile! Next week, I am meeting 5 other adaptive athletes and friends in the Andes on a trip organized by Telluride Adaptive Sports.
Until then, check out more pics from this amazing trip!:
Immediately after the end of the semester, I drove with some friends to Moab, Utah to pick up my new Reactive Adaptations off-road handcycle and do some filming for Falling Into Place, a short film by the GoHawkeye Foundation. This trip was incredible on so many levels, it’s hard to know what to write about! I surely could write yet another post about how amazing my friends are and how grateful I am for them! I could write about the kindness of strangers, such as Hawkeye Johnson, a retired man who generously spends his time hiking and fundraising for adaptive equipment, or any of the 25 volunteers that came out to make this production happen.
This trip was extremely important to me because it echoed many aspects of my life before my injury. Most importantly, it was a road trip. It seems simple, but there is a certain feeling that comes with packing up the car and just driving away from home. Road tripping was such a huge part of my previous life, and yet such a subtle part I didn’t realize I how much I missed it until I embarked again. I again got to feel that great expansiveness as I blasted my music while crossing entire states and witnessing the wide open spaces of the American West. When road tripping (as opposed to flying), I have a greater connection to the place I am traveling to, having seen with my own eyes the space traversed to get there. For years, I have longed to go back to Moab, a place that was so meaningful to me during my climbing career, but I knew it would be heartbreaking unless I had a new focus to bring me back. Mountain biking was just the thing, and it felt so great to be back in this incredible environment and have a new way to access it. Not only that, but some old friends who knew me before were able to come out and visit, which meant the world to me!
Pang and I visit Milt’s, our favorite burger joint!
Montana and I go for a stroll
Shooting on the Colorado
The filming was intense. I am in awe of how much work is involved in creating a short film. It was hard to get used to all the attention, even for an only child like me! I could not have done it without the support of my friends Heather, Galen, and Claire.
One of the most amazing parts of this journey was meeting Kirk Williams of Birds Eye Optics. Kirk did aerial photography of the mountain biking scenes with a drone. Despite being quadriplegic from a mountain biking accident, he controls the copter with a remote control adapted with straws that he can hold. Kirk travels independently in his tricked-out van, which includes a wheelchair lift and a bed. As a person with a spinal cord injury, an occupational therapy student, and just a curious human being, I cherished hearing his story and all of the adaptations he has made to become such a thriving individual. In school, we just completed a spinal cord injury unit where we memorized what key movements each level of injury has (or lacks). It is easy to focus on how devastating it would be to have a cervical spinal cord injury, so it was so incredibly awesome to see someone functioning so well in the world and finding something so perfectly suited for them.
Kirk and Bella show me the van
I learned a lot of lessons from this man in a very short time. He helped me to reassess what I thought was possible and which of society’s rules can be broken if it is a barrier to living an active lifestyle. For example, most of the time Kirk cruises around without socks, sometimes without shoes. I watched how graciously he accepted help and how well he gives instructions. I realized that although I thought I had become someone who is good at accepting help, asking still makes me feel crappy inside. Just the other day, I had the snow tires on my car switched over and asked a friend to come help me get them out of the trunk. I had a realization that I had the choice not to ski, not have snow tires, and not to need help at that moment, but I would also not really be living my life to the fullest! It is by relying on friends, family, and community that I am able to live this amazing life, and it is worth asking for.
Every time I go to the Adaptive Sports Center in Crested Butte, Colorado I have an incredible trip. I come back recharged, fired up, raw, open, and grateful. Its hard to express how this year’s trip was more awesome than ever, but I’ll try! Highlights include finally meeting Hawkeye Johnson and my new mountain bike, skiing with Paralympic gold medalist monoskiers Alana Nichols and Sara Will, and getting to hang out with more women than ever at the “Ladies Session”!
Photo: Pat Addabbo
My trip started out by meeting Hawkeye Johnson, the generous visionary who began the GoHawkeye Foundation and who will be donating to me my very own off-road hand cycle! After a day of skiing and filming for the short film, Falling Into Place, I got to visit the ReActive Adaptations workshop where my “Racing Raspberry” Nuke was unveiled. Needless to say, I love it! I was also curious about the adaptations owner Jake O’Connor has made to his shop to be able to build these bikes from his wheelchair. He showed me a bike frame on “the rotisserie”: a rotating spit-like object he built so he can weld the frame from all angles. He will make some final adjustments to my bike and I will meet her again in Moab, Utah in May when we will have an off-road adventure!
The next 3 days were filled with monoski lessons by ASC instructors and coaching by professional athletes. I was so excited to meet Alana Nichols, the first American woman to win a gold medal in both the summer and winter Paralympic games (she plays wheelchair basketball also). She’s kindof a big deal. But, I was especially happy to experience what a friendly, open, fun person she is! I learned so much skiing with her as well as with Sarah Will, who won 13 Paralympic medals. It was hugely helpful to see someone in the monoski demonstrating the techniques I am trying to learn. Thanks to Alana’s encouragement, I was able to load myself onto the lift! I accomplished this one time while having numerous debacles afterwards. However, I will choose to forget about these and focus on the fact that I felt independence once and now I know it is possible! I also met a woman who was injured at an even higher level than me and monoskis independently.
While at the initial “Ladies Session” dinner, I was reminded of an important lesson. I was meeting a lot of people for the first time and it was not clear who was a participant, who was staff, and who was a professional athlete. Some of the women who I assumed were staff because they looked “normal” ended up to be professional athletes or participants with “disabilities” I couldn’t see. It was a good reminder that although I have been adaptive for almost 5 years now, I can still make the mistake of prejudging people or trying to place them into neat categories. Although this is a natural tendency, I am recommitted to avoiding that.
Throughout this trip I was uplifted not only by the professional athletes, but by the many women who have decided to make a disability into their strength, as well as instructors and staff of the Adaptive Sports Center who have bravely chosen to do what they love in life!
Thanks to the High Fives Foundation, the Challenged Athletes Foundation, and the Adaptive Sports Center for making this trip possible!
As some of you may know, it was announced last year that I was the winner of an insane ReActive Adaptations mountain bike from the GoHawkeye Foundation. As part of the winnings, GoHawkeye is making a short film about my story and how much this bike means to me. In May we are going to ride and film a multi-day bike tour in the Moab area, which has been my dream for years! And, I am proud to announce, the title of this film will be “Falling Into Place.” This title is perfect because I really feel that life has taken me on such a wondrous and unexpected path after my traumatic fall.
I began work on this film project last fall by driving down to Portland to a recording studio where I read the voiceover for the film. It was an awesome experience! Just like I imagined it, I was alone in a booth with a microphone and receiving instructions through headphones worn over one ear. Reading the script was more difficult than I imagined: trying to convey passion when you are alone and reading the same line over and over is tough. I have new respect for people who do this for a living.
After recording, we went to a park to do a photo shoot with Sarah Henderson of Sirena Pictures. My dog Chai crashed the photo shoot but he helped us to create some of the best pictures of the day, because my smile was genuine!
I am so excited for May when I get to ride my new bike into the desert! The plan is to do part of the Kokopelli trail, a 150 mile trail from Fruita, Colorado to Moab, Utah. I spent a lot of time in the Moab area rock climbing and I can’t wait to get back there. I am psyched to meet Hawkeye and all of the generous people that are working on this project. I hope we can spread a message that changes people’s perspectives on disability and inspires people to ditch their excuses and go enjoy life!
Danielle Lancelot Watson 