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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nI was devastated, but years of Marine training and a blue-collar upbringing in Buffalo had taught me how to survive tough situations, so I pushed forward. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I learned how to manage catheters and maneuver a wheelchair. I spent hours picking up coins and bobby pins to retrain my hands. I tackled therapy like boot camp. But even as my body got stronger, the mental struggle was harder. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
My brain swirled with questions. Could I date? Could I be a good father? How would I explain bladder and bowel management to a partner? That\u2019s when I found the National Paralysis Resource Center (NPRC) and everything changed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inside the Paralysis Resource Guide I found answers to the questions I hadn\u2019t been able to ask out loud. It covered everything from adaptive sports to sex and fertility. It showed me that life after paralysis wasn\u2019t over, it just looked different. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
With that clarity, I went back to school, expanded my family, and began a second career rooted in advocacy. I helped veterans win denied claims and worked to improve the lives of people living with disabilities through roles at the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) and later at FEMA, where I led disability integration during some of the nation\u2019s worst natural disasters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now, more than two decades after my injury, I\u2019ve returned to the source as the Senior Director of Public Policy and Advocacy at the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation to help ensure that others get the same lifeline I did. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This year, that lifeline is at risk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first draft of the Fiscal Year 2026 budget called for the complete elimination of the NPRC. Both the House Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee and the Senate Appropriations Committee have recommended restoring NPRC funding. The next step is for Congress to vote to finalize the appropriations process. Until then, I \u2013 along with the Reeve Foundation\u2019s dedicated Advocacy team and Regional Champions across the country \u2013 will continue to spotlight its indispensable work and the guiding message that: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The NPRC offers more than help. It\u2019s a hand to hold, a voice that understands, a lifeline of hope. <\/p>\n\n\n\n