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Jay is an Austin native and a former highschool football player who sustained a traumatic spinal cord injury while tackling one of his teammates during football practice in September of 2015. Following the incident, he was left paralyzed from his neck down and found his life turned upside down. In this episode, Jay shares his positive outlook on life. He names this current season of his life “Rolling with Rejoice” as he reflects on his passion for broadcasting and sports, his current profession as a greeter for the Round Rock Express, his aspirations to become a podcaster, and the ways in which he has watched his community show up for him in major ways over the past 9 years. With a fair dose of positivity and light-heartedness, Jay empowers others facing disability to find new ways to engage in the activities that they love and provide insight into what life can look like, despite mobility challenges. 

Liz is a 46 year old mother of two and avid runner who decided in 2014 to take on running as a daily habit. One day after the other, Liz built steady consistency, running 2 miles every single day for the past 10 years. In this new episode of the ‘Spero Means Hope’ podcast, Liz gives insight into what motivates her to prioritize her health, maintain this daily habit and model a healthy lifestyle to those around her. She encourages the listener to step outside every day, start with a single step, and value the ways in which our bodies are able to move.  

In March of 2022, Isaiah Tucker sustained a cervical level spinal cord injury while working as a welder in Minnesota. Since the incident which completely changed his life, he has been working on regaining movement and function with the goal of returning to independent living.

In this final episode of the season, Isaiah opens up about "the good, the bad, and the ugly" of his daily life as a quadriplegic. He provides his perspective on intentionally choosing positivity and using laughter as a tool for connectedness with others around him and as a coping mechanism. He also discusses the accessibility challenges he faces in his home environment, and his frustration with some aspects of the healthcare system. Finally, Isaiah shares his desire to document his journey with the hope to inspire other individuals living with spinal cord injuries and raise awareness to the condition.

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Connect with Isaiah: @the_handicap_chronicles on Instagram.

Owen Cox is a US Marine Corps veteran and the owner of a cheerleading and tumbling gym where he and his wife coach young athletes. In 2019, his son, Christoffer, sustained a cervical level spinal cord injury which changed both his and his family's lives. A year later, motivated by lessons learned during Christoffer's hospital stay, Owen started the 'Salute the Fight Foundation'. This non-profit organization seeks to facilitate the return to home for newly injured quadriplegics and their families by providing them with a free Going Home Tote which includes: a pair of 'Active Hands' (grip aid gloves), resistance bands, a hair washing tray, and a standing frame.

In this episode, Owen expands on not only the importance of each item in the tote, but the fellowship gained by connecting with families and belonging to a community whose lived experiences with spinal cord injuries have fostered understanding, resilience, and hope in the midst of difficulties.

To learn more or donate to the organization, visit: https://www.salutethefight.org/

In this episode, we connect with Rahul Sinha, a former pre-med student whose life was turned upside down after a car accident resulted in a cervical spinal cord injury which left him partially paralyzed from the chest down. 4 years later, Rahul reflects on how through that journey, he has been able to redefine who he is, ground himself in a new identity, find a different career path, and accept that life today is nothing like what he had imagined at first, yet it is full of endless possibilities and purpose. Rahul challenges our definition of normalcy, explains his perspective of disability as a mismatch between an individual and their physical environment, and encourages all to expand the lens through which they view the world.

Bastion Community of Resilience is a non profit organization located in New Orleans, LA whose mission is to meet the needs of injured US veterans and their families. The organization provides free community housing, vocational rehab, occupational therapy, functional activities, and other services all geared towards bridging the gap between conventional rehabilitation and independent community reintegration.

Rachel Schwenk, OTR/L is a licensed occupational therapist and the clinical director for Headway, Bastion's day therapy program. In this episode, she shares about her non-traditional role as an OT in this community-focused setting, gives advices to OTs interested in careers in the non-profit world, and expands on the social impact Bastion has on wounded warriors that may have sustained mild traumatic brain injuries in combat.

Learn more about Bastion: https://www.joinbastion.org/

Rehabilitation Services Volunteer Project (RSVP) is a non profit organization whose mission is to improve health outcomes for uninsured or underinsured Houstonians with neurological diagnoses such as strokes, brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, or amputations. The organization provides all of its services free of charge which include: physical and occupational therapy, medical visits, assistance with some medications, funding applications, and medical equipment. Alex Chesney, OTR/L has been serving as RSVP's Vice President and clinic coordinator since 2019. In this episode, she shares her journey of choosing occupational therapy as a career path, working a non traditional role as a seating & mobility educator, being involved in her community, and pursuing her passion of being a resource for those around her.

Learn more about RSVP: https://rsvptexas.org/

Instagram: @rsvphouston