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Tammy
Gender: Female
Age: 32
Location: United States, Washington, Seattle
Connection: No connection
Member since: 05/08/2008
Profile last updated: 05/08/2008
Current Status: Offline
Network: 9 Friends
Age: 32
Location: United States, Washington, Seattle
Connection: No connection
Member since: 05/08/2008
Profile last updated: 05/08/2008
Current Status: Offline
Network: 9 Friends
Profile
Personal
Interests I'd like to share with others: Volunteer/Community Activites
My Favorite Sports: Tennis/Racquet Sports
Top 5 movies: Starwars, Superbad
Top 5 bands, composers, or musical artists: Joss Stone, John Legend, Sister Hazel
Overview: I was an athletic, outgoing 17-year-old on the summer day in 1993 when my life changed in an instant. While driving with friends to soccer camp, a distraction—a bee flew in the car, causing shrieking and commotion among the passengers—took my attention from the road. The road curved, the car flipped, and, not wearing a seat belt, she was ejected. I remember being on the ground, wide awake and knew something was wrong. I told people, ‘Don’t move me. Get help.’ Soon after arriving at the hospital, I had emergency surgery to remove her kidney (damaged when my body was thrown against the steering wheel). Two days later I underwent spine stabilization surgery. I had sustained a complete spinal cord injury at the T5-6 level, but the fog of operations and medications kept full awareness of my situation at bay for a few days.I started realizing things were serious about the time I was moved from the ICU to a regular hospital room. When they brought me a big blue wheelchair, I thought, this is real? This is really happening?’ This was the moment I knew I was paralyzed and had my first big cry.” When I returned to high school in my senior year it was difficult. People were shocked to see me because I had lost a lot of weight. My hair had fallen out while I was in the hospital (a reaction to medications) and was just starting to grow back, so I looked really different. To me, I looked and felt like an unhealthy person. This was a dramatic change from pre-injury, and my self-image took a beating.Gradually, the stares and awkward questions from peers diminished, and I eased back into a subdued version of my previous social life. I was limited in my activities because of accessibility reasons, bladder and bowel issues. It took so long to do everything. So it was just easier for my friends to come over to my house.After graduation, my friends went off to college, and I started feeling left out. So I went to the Shiners Hospital in Philadelphia to take part in a functional electrical stimulation (FES) program for walking. I lived at the hospital for six months. It was very therapeutic because it was a transition, going away from home like my friends who went to college, and because for the first time I was around a lot of people with disabilities. I made friends with people all around the country. My roommate was a paraplegic. It was kind of fun.The FES program involved implanting electrodes in my legs to stimulate the muscles to walk. While it provided good exercise, strengthened my muscles, and allowed me to stand to reach for things, it was too exhausting for regular ambulation and required occasional repair surgery trips to Philadelphia. Once I started at the University of New Hampshire, these trips became too disruptive. I ended up having the electrodes removed three years after their initial implantation. Meanwhile, college life had plenty of its own challenges and I had a hard time adjusting. That first winter was horrible between the snow, and dorm life. Self-conscious about my personal care needs, I did my bowel program in the middle of the night, when no one was in the bathroom. Having given up my childhood dream of becoming a nurse, I was at loose ends, switching majors often, transferring to Florida State in my sophomore year, and then dropping out as a junior. I did get my Associates Degree, and am almost done with my Bachelor’s.That turned out to be an empowering move, however because I wanted to try working but wasn’t sure of my capabilities, so I started volunteering at a recreation organization for people with disabilities. It was a great way for me to gain job skills and the confidence that I could work. I was soon hired as a part-time administrative assistant. At this point I felt I had come a long way. I was independent, I could drive and play sports—but at the five-year anniversary date of my injury, depression began set in. I went to a counselor said something to me I will never forget, “I never really mourned the loss of the use of my legs.”It suddenly hit me because had been all ‘go, go, go!’ I felt I needed to be superwoman, to prove myself. Counseling helped me come to terms with my loss and let go of my compulsion always to overachieve.Fast-forward to the present day, and now I live in Seattle am the Marketing Manager for VARILITE, a wheelchair seating company. This job is something I have been working toward, and although I never became a nurse, I am still connected to the medical and disability communities. I feel very fortunate to be working for such a good company. I love being involved with my community and since volunteering has been my passion since high school; especially when it involves helping others with disabilities do a lot of different things. I serve on the Boards of Directors of PROVAIL (a non-profit service agency for individuals with disabilities) and the Northwest Regional Spinal Cord Injury System (NWRSCIS). I peer mentor newly-injured SCI patients at the University of Washington, which is so important. So many people helped me the first few years. Being able to have someone meet other person with a spinal cord injury who has been injured almost 15 years and to see what they can accomplish I think it huge. I also helped start an online women’s wheelchair support group that connects women with SCI throughout the Northwest. We all share information and experiences about the nuts-and-bolts of living with SCI and even manage to convene periodically in person for social activities. I also was Ms. Wheelchair Washington in 2006, a title that is more about community service than ball gowns and makeup, and I made volunteering my platform for the year: I called it ‘VolunteersAbility,’ because everyone has the ability to be a volunteer and make a difference. This year I am the volunteer Washington State pageant coordinator and mentors the current title-holder. I also believe in trying to help people with disabilities in other countries. That is why I gathered medical equipment like wheelchairs, walkers, canes among other items for a group called The Mobility Project. Recently I was honored an award from the Washington State Governor’s Committee on Employment and Disability. The award was the 2007 Governor’s Trophy for “empowering leadership, removing barriers to employment, and improving access to programs and services.” My advice to anyone with a disability is patience because people need to take one day at a time. For me, it’s been 14 years, and I didn’t get to where I am overnight.
My Favorite Sports: Tennis/Racquet Sports
Top 5 movies: Starwars, Superbad
Top 5 bands, composers, or musical artists: Joss Stone, John Legend, Sister Hazel
Overview: I was an athletic, outgoing 17-year-old on the summer day in 1993 when my life changed in an instant. While driving with friends to soccer camp, a distraction—a bee flew in the car, causing shrieking and commotion among the passengers—took my attention from the road. The road curved, the car flipped, and, not wearing a seat belt, she was ejected. I remember being on the ground, wide awake and knew something was wrong. I told people, ‘Don’t move me. Get help.’ Soon after arriving at the hospital, I had emergency surgery to remove her kidney (damaged when my body was thrown against the steering wheel). Two days later I underwent spine stabilization surgery. I had sustained a complete spinal cord injury at the T5-6 level, but the fog of operations and medications kept full awareness of my situation at bay for a few days.I started realizing things were serious about the time I was moved from the ICU to a regular hospital room. When they brought me a big blue wheelchair, I thought, this is real? This is really happening?’ This was the moment I knew I was paralyzed and had my first big cry.” When I returned to high school in my senior year it was difficult. People were shocked to see me because I had lost a lot of weight. My hair had fallen out while I was in the hospital (a reaction to medications) and was just starting to grow back, so I looked really different. To me, I looked and felt like an unhealthy person. This was a dramatic change from pre-injury, and my self-image took a beating.Gradually, the stares and awkward questions from peers diminished, and I eased back into a subdued version of my previous social life. I was limited in my activities because of accessibility reasons, bladder and bowel issues. It took so long to do everything. So it was just easier for my friends to come over to my house.After graduation, my friends went off to college, and I started feeling left out. So I went to the Shiners Hospital in Philadelphia to take part in a functional electrical stimulation (FES) program for walking. I lived at the hospital for six months. It was very therapeutic because it was a transition, going away from home like my friends who went to college, and because for the first time I was around a lot of people with disabilities. I made friends with people all around the country. My roommate was a paraplegic. It was kind of fun.The FES program involved implanting electrodes in my legs to stimulate the muscles to walk. While it provided good exercise, strengthened my muscles, and allowed me to stand to reach for things, it was too exhausting for regular ambulation and required occasional repair surgery trips to Philadelphia. Once I started at the University of New Hampshire, these trips became too disruptive. I ended up having the electrodes removed three years after their initial implantation. Meanwhile, college life had plenty of its own challenges and I had a hard time adjusting. That first winter was horrible between the snow, and dorm life. Self-conscious about my personal care needs, I did my bowel program in the middle of the night, when no one was in the bathroom. Having given up my childhood dream of becoming a nurse, I was at loose ends, switching majors often, transferring to Florida State in my sophomore year, and then dropping out as a junior. I did get my Associates Degree, and am almost done with my Bachelor’s.That turned out to be an empowering move, however because I wanted to try working but wasn’t sure of my capabilities, so I started volunteering at a recreation organization for people with disabilities. It was a great way for me to gain job skills and the confidence that I could work. I was soon hired as a part-time administrative assistant. At this point I felt I had come a long way. I was independent, I could drive and play sports—but at the five-year anniversary date of my injury, depression began set in. I went to a counselor said something to me I will never forget, “I never really mourned the loss of the use of my legs.”It suddenly hit me because had been all ‘go, go, go!’ I felt I needed to be superwoman, to prove myself. Counseling helped me come to terms with my loss and let go of my compulsion always to overachieve.Fast-forward to the present day, and now I live in Seattle am the Marketing Manager for VARILITE, a wheelchair seating company. This job is something I have been working toward, and although I never became a nurse, I am still connected to the medical and disability communities. I feel very fortunate to be working for such a good company. I love being involved with my community and since volunteering has been my passion since high school; especially when it involves helping others with disabilities do a lot of different things. I serve on the Boards of Directors of PROVAIL (a non-profit service agency for individuals with disabilities) and the Northwest Regional Spinal Cord Injury System (NWRSCIS). I peer mentor newly-injured SCI patients at the University of Washington, which is so important. So many people helped me the first few years. Being able to have someone meet other person with a spinal cord injury who has been injured almost 15 years and to see what they can accomplish I think it huge. I also helped start an online women’s wheelchair support group that connects women with SCI throughout the Northwest. We all share information and experiences about the nuts-and-bolts of living with SCI and even manage to convene periodically in person for social activities. I also was Ms. Wheelchair Washington in 2006, a title that is more about community service than ball gowns and makeup, and I made volunteering my platform for the year: I called it ‘VolunteersAbility,’ because everyone has the ability to be a volunteer and make a difference. This year I am the volunteer Washington State pageant coordinator and mentors the current title-holder. I also believe in trying to help people with disabilities in other countries. That is why I gathered medical equipment like wheelchairs, walkers, canes among other items for a group called The Mobility Project. Recently I was honored an award from the Washington State Governor’s Committee on Employment and Disability. The award was the 2007 Governor’s Trophy for “empowering leadership, removing barriers to employment, and improving access to programs and services.” My advice to anyone with a disability is patience because people need to take one day at a time. For me, it’s been 14 years, and I didn’t get to where I am overnight.
Disability
Disability Community - Member Type: Person with a Disability
Disability Type: Physical
Disability Name: Spinal cord Injury
Disability Description: Spinal Cord Injury T 5-6 (1993) from a car accident
Assistive Technology: Wheelchair - Manual
Adaptive Sports: Wheelchair Tennis
How has your disability changed your life...for better or worse?: My disability has opened up my world to new experiences. I can say it is good and bad, but everyone has good and bad days.
How have you overcome obstacles?: I have overcome obstacles by always trying to put things into perspective and realize I have a lot going for me.
What is your most embarrassing moment?: Most embarrassing moment- to many to count or share
What is your most triumphant moment?: Most triumphant moment: Being Ms. WHeelchair Washington 2006
What are your dreams...for yourself and your peers?:
Disability Type: Physical
Disability Name: Spinal cord Injury
Disability Description: Spinal Cord Injury T 5-6 (1993) from a car accident
Assistive Technology: Wheelchair - Manual
Adaptive Sports: Wheelchair Tennis
How has your disability changed your life...for better or worse?: My disability has opened up my world to new experiences. I can say it is good and bad, but everyone has good and bad days.
How have you overcome obstacles?: I have overcome obstacles by always trying to put things into perspective and realize I have a lot going for me.
What is your most embarrassing moment?: Most embarrassing moment- to many to count or share
What is your most triumphant moment?: Most triumphant moment: Being Ms. WHeelchair Washington 2006
What are your dreams...for yourself and your peers?:
My dream for myself and other with disabilities is for acceptance, and communities that accomadate disabilities and follow the ADA.
Social
Relationship Status: Single
I'm looking for: Friends, Business Partners
Height: 5' - 5'2" (152 cm - 158 cm)
Weight: 101 lbs - 110 lbs ( 46 Kg - 50 Kg)
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Hazel
Religous Background: Spiritual-but not religious
Languages: English
I'm looking for: Friends, Business Partners
Height: 5' - 5'2" (152 cm - 158 cm)
Weight: 101 lbs - 110 lbs ( 46 Kg - 50 Kg)
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Hazel
Religous Background: Spiritual-but not religious
Languages: English
Business
Professional Area: Marketing
Educational Level: College Graduate
Job Title: Marketing Representative
Company: VARILITE
Company Website: www.varilite.com
Previous Companies: Think First of Washington
Areas of Expertise: Advocacy, Outreach
Current Status: Employed, full-time
My Blog, Websites, or Webpages: www.myspace.com/tammywheels
Overview:
Educational Level: College Graduate
Job Title: Marketing Representative
Company: VARILITE
Company Website: www.varilite.com
Previous Companies: Think First of Washington
Areas of Expertise: Advocacy, Outreach
Current Status: Employed, full-time
My Blog, Websites, or Webpages: www.myspace.com/tammywheels
Overview:
We are dedicated to making premier medical rehabilitation products that enhance the active lifestyles of our customers.
At VARILITE, our goal is to help people who use wheelchairs for mobility lead empowered, independent and connected lives. We strive to design effective, innovative postural support solutions. VARILITE systems are manufactured by the medical division of Cascade Designs, Inc. in Seattle, Washington and distributed globally. Our comprehensive family of seating and positioning systems includes cushions, back supports, hip belts, chest harnesses, ankle supports, and seating accessories. In addition to VARILITE products, Cascade Designs, Inc. manufactures products for outdoor recreation, travel, and military markets. For information about Cascade Designs, visit www.cascadedesigns.com.
Air-Foam Floatation
VARILITE is the leader in Air-Foam Floatation wheelchair seat cushions and back supports. Air-Foam Floatation combines the best characteristics of air and foam to provide excellent pressure distribution, comfort and stability, all in an ultra-lightweight seat cushion. Air acts like a fluid and displaces under load to provide superior pressure distribution. Foam acts like a spring and compresses under load to provide support and conformation.
Mission
VARILITE provides innovative postural support solutions that enhance the comfort, health and lifestyles of our customers.
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