08/31/2026
Life after a spinal cord injury is filled with obstacles, unknowns, and uncertainty—but it is also filled with firsts.
One of my favorite parts of ROAR is watching someone discover a new way to participate in life after a traumatic injury. It is seeing that smile return when they do something they believed had been lost forever.
Sometimes those moments happen soon after an injury. Sometimes they arrive decades later.
Over the weekend, I had the privilege of witnessing another one of those firsts with our great friend, Chastity.
Even after 32 years of paralysis, there is still time for new adventures, new passions, and rediscovery.
There are so many “Godwinks” within this crew—little reminders that our lives are connected and that we are moving in the right direction. What many people may not know is that I knew Chastity before either of us became paralyzed or used wheelchairs.
Chastity sustained a cervical spinal cord injury in an automobile accident. About nine months later, I sustained my own cervical injury in a diving accident. In less than a year, both of our lives changed, leaving us quadriplegics and requiring us to learn entirely new ways of moving through the world.
All these years later, our paths continue to cross through friendship, faith, and the work of ROAR.
This weekend, we helped Chastity try a couple of different crossbows. The goal was not to accomplish complete independence in one afternoon. The goal was to begin—to find what worked, build confidence, and allow each step to lead toward the next.
She fired one crossbow using her finger. Then, using the BeAdaptive universal crossbow trigger mount and bite trigger, she sent a bolt dead center.
That smile said everything.
Next time, we will work on independent positioning and continue building from there. That is what adaptation looks like: identifying the barrier, finding the right equipment, bringing the right people together, and creating a path forward.
This is what ROAR is all about.
It is about inclusion, fellowship, life, and renewal. It is about helping people rediscover outdoor activities and recreation in ways that respect their abilities, encourage independence, and remind them that possibility does not expire.
While we are still here, there are passions waiting to be rediscovered, adventures waiting to be experienced, and “firsts” still waiting to happen.
I am incredibly blessed by the people who continue to show up, share their knowledge, support our mission, and help us grow. Many of our connections began before our injuries; others have been formed because of them. Every person brings something meaningful to this journey.
No one creates access alone.
It takes faith.
It takes friendships.
It takes adaptive equipment.
It takes teamwork.
Most importantly, it takes people who believe that life after injury can still be filled with purpose, fellowship, adventure, and joy.
We are not finished living.
We are still rediscovering what is possible.
Life rolls on and we are still finding new ways to. .
. . . . . . . . . . .
Challenged Athletes Foundation. ROAR. Mike Hudson. Jay Youngblood. Paralyzed Veterans of America. Americans with Disabilities - the Largest Minority. American Association of People with Disabilities. Jeremy Kerr. Shepherd Center. Cabela's. Accessible Hunter Podcast. Bass Pro Shops. TenPoint Crossbow Technologies. Accessible Hunter.
