There is always someone with a story to tell. Here is one I wanted to share.
It was one of those picture perfect sunny San Diego days, Memorial Day weekend, 1978. The decision Chris made on that day was a bad one.
She and her husband were packing to move to Oregon. She was leaving behind the teaching job she had loved for six years. They had family in Oregon and thought that living in a smaller town with relatives close by would be better for the family life they wanted. That was the “plan of action”.
Having sold the house, Chris was tired of packing and decided to go to the beach and have one last spin around Fiesta Island, one last ride in her treasured “beamer” car in the bright San Diego sunshine. As she finished her last ride she was headed home. She became dizzy (the cause would never be known for sure) and in the attempt to pull over must have lost consciousness. She crashed into a cement abutment. No one else was in the car, and no one else was hurt. It was before the seatbelt law, no air bags. . That was to be her last day of being able to walk around in the sunlight but certainly was not the last day of courageous movement for this woman.
It is not the events of our lives; it is our response to the events that determine what happens to us and who we become. Here was Chris, vibrant, beautiful, 29 years old, and paralyzed from the neck down. She would wake up in a hospital with no memory of what had happened after that moment of dizziness. Before the accident she had been a passionate and involved teacher. She had great family and friendship support. After the accident, her family wanted her to move to be with them but she elected to stay here in San Diego, the place she so loved and the life she had built.
There were more challenges and losses than physical ones. The marriage struggled for four years and then broke apart. The dream of children, the entire reason for the move, was over.
The first fight was to get her job back. The school district felt she would be too vulnerable to illness and would die. She refuted that reason, fought hard, and finally got her job back. She had loved being a teacher before the accident and now, with 31 years in the system, she still loves to teach.
When you are a quadriplegic you can’t dress yourself, turn in bed, or do all the things able-bodied people take for granted.
This was a whole new life for such an independent woman.
There was a medical maze regarding disability that made even the simplest questions difficult and mysterious. How do you qualify for the help you must have to live? Chris is one of these people that makes things work. She researched, dictated letters, and talked to all who would listen. She networked. In order to move through the world, she requires a full-time attendant, a canine companion and a $100,000 van. It takes almost five months to adapt a van that can be controlled perfectly by head movements, keypads, and commands. (Because of Medi-Cal rules, a person on disability can never save more than $2,000 or they will lose all needed medical benefits.) It was never possible to plan for the day the van would give out.
Isn’t that is all that should happen to one person in a lifetime? In 1990 another tough challenge came her way—breast cancer. As she fought everything else, she took on this challenge and is now a survivor of 13 years. She helped raised $6000 to help others in the Avon walk for the cure.
Chris is a woman of courage, a woman who doesn’t quit, a woman who knows you can make a difference in the world. She can no longer leave footprints in the sand. But she has left imprints on the hearts and minds of all whom she has taught and touched with her courage and optimism.
She now faces a huge challenge. The van that has allowed her freedom is dying. We need to raise $100,000 for the new van.
We, healthy and active women want to get her the van, and The Athena Foundation has pledged $40,000 for matching funds to make this happen. This Foundation runs with only the accounting and office supply costs necessary to a charitable foundation so that every dollar donated goes to help others. We also want the law changed so that others can have freedom of movement. When we are successful, we will get statewide publicity. If you read this story and are moved, send a dollar, five, ten, whatever you can afford and are moved to do. We are not paralyzed; we can make movements that make a difference. We need to use the mobility and gifts that we have on behalf of others. We need numbers so Sacramento might just listen to a positive cause.
Thanks for joining us in this project. Tell your friends and join our “make it happen” village.
All checks to Athena Foundation (a private 501c3 foundation), Tax ID # 33-6211470:
Athena Foundation
5411 Bahia Lane
La Jolla, CA 92037
PS. Let them know you heard about Chris from Femail Creations. I’d like to report back to the Femail Creations community so you can see just how strong you really are!
Founders: Donna Brooks MD; Barbara Levy MD; Catherine Conheim LCSW
