Famous People in Wheelchairs: Be Inspired

The first time I was asked about famous people in a wheelchair, I was hard pressed to come up with any names.  That failure was mine, however, because some of the greatest dignitaries on the world stage live their lives in a wheelchair.  I had simply never thought about it. I thought it might be fun to run through a partial list.
 

Franklin Delano Roosevelt:   FDR was the 32^nd President of the United States and arguably the most important President of the twentieth century.  He certainly was in office longer than any other in our history.  He was first elected in 1932 shortly after the Great Depression, and was then reelected three more times.  He guided us through the greatest depression of our history, was one of the three most prominent leaders of WWII on the winning side along with Churchill and Stalin, and is responsible for the implementation of Social Security.  He contracted polio in 1921 and was paralyzed from the waist down as a result.  This, of course, didn’t stop him, and he became one of the most prominent figures of the century.

 

Stephen Hawking:  Hawking is one of the most famous and revered physicists and mathematicians or our age, and he has been in a wheelchair for the past forty years.  He has defied numbers because he was told he would not live to see his 23^rd birthday.  Hawking was diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, which is a motor neuron disease that results in the gradual and complete deteriorate of his muscle.  He can no longer sit up, hold his head up, or move his hands,, but he sure can think.  He wrote a best seller called “A Brief History of Time,” which tried to explain his theories of time and physics without using math. 

 Teddy Pendergrass, Sr.:  Teddy was a drummer for the Cadillacs, which later merged with Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes.  He later became the lead singer for the group jumping from the rear of the stage to become its foremost figure.  In 1982, Pendergrass severed his spine in an auto accident and was paralyzed from the waist down.  After numerous surgeries and a lengthy rehab, he got back to the studio and recorded the album “Love Language,” which included a duet with the then unknown Whitney Houston

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Christopher Reeves:  Perhaps best known for his role as Superman in four films, Reeves was an actor, producer, and director.  Reeves was paralyzed in 1995 after being thrown from a horse in an equestrian event.  He went on to lobby and raise funds for spinal cord research and became Chairman of the American Paralysis Association and Vice Chairman on the National Organization on Disability.  He also continued his career primarily as a director at the same time.  He died at 52 from cardiac arrest leaving behind the legacy of doing more than any other person to raise awareness about persons with disabilities.

 Itzhak Perlman:  An Israeli-American, Perlman was one of the most distinguished violinists and conductors of the twentieth century.  He contracted polio as a youngster but was able to walk for a long time using crutches.  He became wheelchair bound later in life but continued his remarkable performances in the largest performing halls in the world.  Critics often say his remarkable skills were matched by the joy he expressed in playing the violin.

 

Dwight Owens:  Okay, so this one’s not so famous.  But like these giants before me, I am doing the best I can to make my life count.  I and hundreds of thousands like me live our lives as fully as possible and embrace each day as a gift.  And I don’t feel the least bit disabled.  I just do things a little more slowly than most people.  I think there are many more adventures for me in the future, and I look forward to each of them.

 If you live in a wheelchair, you inevitably spend a lot of time thinking about your ‘best friend.’ In fact, you may even begin to personify this hunk of metal with tires that provides you with your full measure of mobility.  For me, after long experience and great thought, I have come to regard my wheelchair as my partner.  It is a substitute for my legs, a remarkable device that lets me live fully and independently.  Sometimes it can be a bit cranky, but it is always reliable.  Cranky like when the brakes don’t work properly or when it starts to roll down an incline seemingly on purpose and with malice.  The bottom line is that I love my life, and I love my wheelchair because it helps me live life so fully.

 Many people look at me and momentarily feel pity, perhaps because they envision themselves in the same situation and wonder how they would cope.  The truth is that most of them would cope quite well.  Yes, there are many issues to deal with.  For example, poor circulation, which can lead to many medical problems.  But this is manageable.  What’s not manageable is being cooped up, unable to get around on my own, and dependent on others for all transportation.  It turns out, I have none of those problems.  My wheels and I can go virtually anywhere.  Perhaps not in the swimming pool, but otherwise there are no limitations.  I roll along at supermarkets, go to sporting events, attend church, , and most importantly, I speak almost every week in front of a groups of kids and adults.  This satisfies my teaching impulse and leaves the audience with a lasting memory.  I hope it changes their lives for the better in some small way.

 All that said, there is one group of people I must always watch out for.  Kids in the 4-8 year-old range.  Many of them think my wheelchair is the coolest toy they’ve ever seen.  On more than one occasion when I was reaching for the Honey Nut Cheerios in the food store, I have found myself rolling well in excess of any rational speed limit impelled by some intrepid youngster laughing in glee.    I try to be on the lookout, but some of these kids are clever.  They eye me from a distance and make their move when I’ve averted my gaze.  It goes with the territory, and while there’s the chance of crashing into canned peas or string beans, it’s always kind of fun.

The point of this blog is that wheelchairs are a great gift to me and everybody who lives in one.   They provide mobility.  They provide independence.  And above all, they give people with spinal cord injuries a great sense of confidence.  The truth is, there’s very little an able-bodied person can do that I can’t.  And given where I was at the moment of my accident, this is a pretty good place to be.

Dwight R. Owens