Corie Jones Redding, CA, United States

C4-5, incomplete, quadriplegic, July 1993

I became a quadriplegic from a spinal cord injury after I was in a car accident. My spinal cord injury has brought me many losses these past 13 1/2 years, but it has also brought many opportunities. My biggest struggle would be the severe chronic nerve pain I began having just three months after my injury, which on top of the paralysis and dependency on others, has been extremely hard to cope with and has greatly affected my quality of life. Despite the pain and paralysis, however, I did not give up and returned to school immediately after my injury, getting both my Bachelor's degree and my Master's degree in Counseling, Psychology. I am a Marriage & Family Therapist Intern, working on the required hours to become a licensed Therapist. I work for a nonprofit counseling agency working with primarily low income families and children. I also recently became a licensed foster parent and am waiting to adopt my first child. My work and my family are my inspiration and keep me going despite the daily obstacles all of us with spinal cord injuries face.