Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny Carlson

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month and this year we will be highlighting a variety of disability employment success stories. Brandon Winfield, founder of the accessibility review app iAccessLife, is first up in our series. Paralyzed at the age of 14 in a motocross accident, he went on to become a self taught QA analyst and an app creator. His app, iAccessLife, lets people re...

Is Zumba a good workout for wheelchair-users? In this episode, we speak with wheelchair Zumba instructor Tennille Houston from Idaho who fills us in on why Zumba is a great workout for those who can't walk. Also married with two teenagers, she became a wheelchair-user over 14 years ago due to pregnancy complications and went on to become a Zumba certified instructor after her injury.  Tennill...

Tim Taylor, a C5 quadriplegic from Pennsylvania, has experienced a lot since his injury nearly 20 years ago, and he has a lot to share in this episode. We talk with him about his car accident that resulted in the death of two individuals, how he made it through the depression that followed afterwards and how he ultimately found his calling since he was no longer able to pursue his previous career....

We're excited to have Jason Thurston, a C5-6 quadriplegic, back on the show. A wheelchair camping expert who camped alone 4 times last year, he's now the Outreach Coordinator for International Paper John Dillon Park, a free and fully inclusive campground located in New York state in the Adirondack mountains. Injured in 2004 in a diving accident, this former chef had to pivot his professional life...

If you're looking for a dose of motivation, this is the podcast episode for you. Injured 5 years ago in a motorcycle accident, Bianca Faith Johnson went on to receive her law degree and is now an assistant college professor as well as an assistant preacher at her church, St. Albans.  To top it off, she's also the newly crowned Ms. Wheelchair New York 2022. Only paralyzed 5 years, how has Bian...

If you get paid more to pour a cup of coffee at McDonald's than be a caregiver, the system is surely unjust. Kevin Orr, a complete C4-5 quadriplegic from Mississippi and former police officer injured in 2009, has experienced a severe absence of caregivers since the pandemic began (with his mother becoming his full-time caregiver as a result). Tiffiny and Kevin discuss possible solutions to his dil...

In the first episode of 2022, we chat with Natalie Cinman, a passionate home cook and wheelchair-user from Montreal, Quebec. She may not be paralyzed, but she has dozens of amazing tips to share on cooking in a wheelchair. Born with osteogenesis imperfecta, she lives in her forever home with her dream accessible kitchen, along with her husband and fur babies.  Natalie started her growing cook...

Peter Yeo, a C4 incomplete quadriplegic from British Columbia, Canada, shares the two surgeries that helped him regain movement after his spinal cord injury, including a groundbreaking therapy to treat spasms after maxxing the daily maximum of Baclofen. He was also the first to receive this treatment. And although he still has limited upper-body mobility, the surgeries were able to restore some fu...

Not being able to move just one of her legs is how Melissa Childers, an avid marathon runner and mountain climber, woke up one January morning in 2021. By the day was up, she would be no longer able to move her legs. Diagnosed with a spinal stroke (which can happen to anyone at any time), Melissa has had to figure out life after paralysis this year. She joins Tiffiny to discuss rehab during a pand...

Beth Beckley is not your average married lady living life in the Atlanta, Georgia suburbs with her spoiled fur babies (although her dogs are insanely cute). Injured 13 years ago when she was 21, Beth, now a T4 paraplegic, has an appreciative perspective on life. She shares her injury story, how recently lost 40 pounds and how she's forging ahead with a new healthy lifestyle.   Beth also share...

In Episode 35, we are joined by Ulysses Martin, a 45 year old C3-5 quadriplegic, father and quadriplegic from Florida. A former amateur MMA fighter, minor league football player and actor, Martin was injured in 2018 when he was hit by a SUV while on his motorcycle. He is now striving to walk again and is determined to return to physical therapy to pursue activity-based therapy at Stay In Step in T...

In Episode 34, Ernie Johnson, paralyzed as a C4-5 incomplete quadriplegic while playing high school football over 24 years ago, shares his life in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, including his passion for adaptive surfing. Surfing on his belly, he has won a number of adaptive surfing events. From being a wheelchair bodybuilder to a high school basketball coach, Ernie hasn't held back. He's become an...

In Episode 33, Ron Trozzi, a C5-6 quadriplegic injured over 43 years ago at 20 years old as an officer in the Coast Guard, shares his spinal cord injury story. A Long Island native, he decided to hightail it to Tucson, Arizona 2 years after his injury so he would no longer be known as the 'wheelchair guy' in the neighborhood where he grew up. He also talks about his love of accessible gardening on...

In Episode 32, Tiffiny chats with the very cool Leah B. Rose from Vancouver, British Columbia. After her injury, Leah, a C5-6 complete quadriplegic, discovered a love of empowerment coaching for youth and mothers. She felt the need to help others because of what she learned after her injury (and she also became the owner of two Sphynx/hairless cats). Also giving a shout out to the amazing Rick Han...

In our interview with Scott W. Fedor, a C3 quadriplegic from Ohio, he shares the 5 most important life truths he's learned since breaking his neck in a diving accident 12 years ago. A non-sugar coater, Scott speaks from the soul, sharing awesome tips on how to deal with some of life's biggest blows.  For more on Scott, including where to purchase his book, see the following links: - Scott's b...

In our first episode of 2021, we speak with Ryan S. Atkins, a C3-4 quadriplegic from Cincinnati, Ohio (and Bengals fan) who was paralyzed in a car accident in 2009.  He has mastered the art of focusing on the here and now and how to balance the reality of being paralyzed and staying positive even he never walks again. Ryan has also published a book called One Step Closer where he shares this...

In Episode 29, Pt. II of Working After a Spinal Cord Injury,  we chat with Alex, a C4 quadriplegic from Miami injured in 2018, who still works as a real estate agent, and then we speak with Kenneth, a C5 quadriplegic from Colorado. Kenneth was a Walmart store manager for several years and now works for Colorado Cross Disability Coalition - ccdconline.org.

In Episode 29 and for October Disability Employment Awareness Month, we chat with César, a C4 quadriplegic from Tijuana, Mexico, who has his own online business, and we speak with Derek, a C5-6 quadriplegic from Mississippi, who has worked as a financial advisor and many other jobs during his 29 years post-injury. - Check out César's store: https://www.redbubble.com/people/yannichingaz/shop?asc=u...

In Episode 28 of Life After Paralysis, we interview two paraplegics who've traveled during the COVID-19 pandemic, both traveling to the state of Florida. We first speak with Dick, a 60 something paraplegic injured for over 40 years, who shares his favorite airline right now and his travels in Tampa. Our second guest is Corey, a paraplegic and a seating specialist who is still traveling on the road...

The spinal cord injury world has been eagerly awaiting some kind of viable treatment, and epidural simulation is finally providing that hope. Case in point Keith Smith. A C4 complete quadriplegic from California, he was chosen to be part of Dr. Susan Harkema's epidural simulation trial at the University of Louisville. Besieged with dangerously low blood pressure, he was considered a viable candida...

In Episode 27, we chat with three people who share their amusing and sometimes frustrating stories of discrimination after becoming disabled. In many cases people just don't understand that our brains aren't affected as well, which leads to some funny stories. We chat with Sean Dineen, a professor with spastic paraplegia, Ken Macdonald, a quadriplegic and former quad rugby player, and Antonia Sini...

In Episode 26, we chat with two more people about quarantining and having a spinal cord injury. Our first guest is Noel Joyce, a paraplegic from Ireland, who is a industrial designer. He shares insight into the designs occurring as a result of COVID-19 and how they benefit people with disabilities. Our second guest is Misty Dawn Piker, a paraplegic and theater usher from Indiana. She too has been...

Episode 24: Vent Life In episode 24, we talk to two people with quadriplegia who use a ventilator to breathe. We first speak with Drew Clayborn from Michigan. Injured in high school, he went on to attend the University of Michigan and is the founder of The Drew Crew Charitable Organization. Next, we speak with Loa Griesbach from Washington who's been injured 18 years. She too went on to college sh...

In episode 23, we uncover wheelchair life hacks your therapists forgot to tell you about. From the wonders a simple cone can do to prevent parking abuse to a spatula set-up for a C1 quadriplegic that enables independent eating, Tiffiny chats with four guests who share their best tips that have the power to change lives. Guests in this episode are the following: - James Collins: A paraplegic from H...

In episode 22, four people with paralysis share their stories about driving post-injury. They share the adaptive driving programs they use, their fears about driving again, and the technology they use that enables them to drive. Tiffiny talks to Heather Wood, a mom with Guillain-Barré syndrome from Massachusetts, Mike Gerhard, a paraplegic who's been driving for over 20 years from Pennsylvania, Ke...