Noah Smith Oregon/California

C6/7 Incomplete, December 2002

Paralysis happens to a family, not just an individual. Our son and brother became a quadriplegic when a careless driver failed to tighten the lug nuts on his front wheel. It came off and flew into the windshield of Noah’s pickup, breaking his neck.

Since that fateful day Noah has worked his tail off to regain enough strength and function to live independently. He returned to college and just graduated summa cum laude from the University of Oregon. He is fortunate to have an extraordinary family and community support system to provide the physical and financial resources to fuel his progress.

But Noah doesn’t want to be an inspiration. He wants his young, athletic, healthy body back. At 26 years old, he should not have to anticipate the rest of his life in a wheelchair, facing daily medical challenges and complications. A cure is possible. Science is so close – we must push it forward with politics and funding.