Hey! I’m Brenna. Where should I start?

First of all, the basics… I’m 27 years old and currently live in good old Massachusetts, where I was born an raised. I have a spinal cord injury I sustained when I was 18 years old, but ask anyone who knows me… it hasn’t slowed me down at all.

When I was hurt in 2010, I’d been the passenger in a car accident which left me paralyzed with a T4 spinal cord injury. Since then I’ve used a wheelchair, and it’s just part of who I am. I think that my injury pushed me faster and further into the fulfilling life that I’m building today. Sure, I hit a lot of speed bumps along the way (you might say that some are more like mountains), but my disability gives me resilience and perspective.

My spinal cord injury was a catalyst that continues to spring me into a life of unlimited opportunities. I have an ambition to accomplish bigger and better things and I find myself continuously seeking new ways to enrich my life and the lives of others. My disability, it seems, has revealed the greatest abilities that I have—to bounce back, adapt, problem solve and persevere.

I have an amazing career as a recreational therapist and experience working in adaptive sports and outdoor recreation as well as neuro-rehabilitation. Currently, I’m not working in recreational therapy. After spending some of my young adulthood living in Phoenix, Arizona (where I graduated from ASU, worked and played and had LOTS of fun for a handful of years), I moved back to New England in 2018 and have spent about a year’s time just resettling with family, reconnecting with H O M E, and working with awesome kiddos at a cute elementary school in my backyard. Regardless of the jobs that I do, I think that my calling is to help people with different disabilities & challenges enjoy their lives to their fullest potential. It’s f*$@king incredible to help change people’s lives by showing them that, despite their limitations, the opportunities are endless and the world is wide open.

I know from my own growth and experience that life with a disability has the potential to exceed the status quo. I’ve had the chance to try so many adaptive sports and leisure opportunities, explore and experience the great outdoors in innovative ways, and I truly believe that a little creative thinking and open-mindedness can make any and all things possible for people with disabilities.

I have SO MANY hobbies and I love many many things. I consider myself to be pretty eclectic in almost every way, so you never know where you might find me. I love hiking, waterskiing, adaptive fitness, handcycling, off-road biking, skiing, four-wheeling, camping, wheelchair basketball, yoga, taking risks, watching sports and being in or on the water — lakes, rivers, oceans… I love it all.  I love trying new things, learning new things, reading, writing, painting and poetry, food, board games and really, so many more things too!

On most days I’m nothing more than a single, sort-of millennial, with student loans and credit card debt just trying to find my way, but I’m determined to make life happy and beautiful for myself and those around me. I think that one of my greatest skills is using my own life experiences to help others understand or overcome theirs, and I’m really excited to share my random ramblings and stories with you here.

Feel free to check out my contact info and shoot me a message anytime.

Xoxo,

Brenna