Walking with Anthony

SPINAL CORD INJURY AWARENESS MONTH

INTRODUCING SCI HEROES FROM AROUND THE WORLD

This September, we aim to raise SCI awareness by sharing 30 different stories from 30 individuals with SCI, highlighting their tragedies and triumphs each day on our social channels and website. Walking With Anthony receives thousands of grant applications every year from individuals with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) in desperate need of help. Each story has the same underlying theme: these brave heroes need mental, physical, and financial guidance and support. 

SCI HERO

Brittany McClain

Brittany McClain

Hello there! My name is Brittany McClain and I am a C3-5 quadriplegic from a car accident when I was on my way to work on February 27th 2015.

I have worked very hard to try and put my life back together despite fighting off the daily struggles and symptoms that come with having a spinal cord injury. I find that I am the most fulfilled when I am helping others. I have always wanted to be a counselor of sorts since I was a young girl and decided to get my Associates Degree in human services. Little did I know that I would be able to use this degree and what I learned in ways I didn’t know we’re possible. 😁🙌

I have directed a lot of my attention towards my internship at Validus Consulting and Services where we help others reach their potential with peer counseling while connecting them with resources for housing and other essential services. I thrive in that environment especially when I know I am helping others get the independence and confidence they need to live their best lives. One day I will turn this into full time work but as of now I would really like to dive inward and focus on getting my health back together after an extremely hard year so far.

As if the separation and shut downs from COVID-19 wasn’t extremely difficult in itself, never did I believe that I would lose both my dad and Grandma within the first few months of this year and I can’t lie and say that it hasn’t hit me extremely hard causing me to take a break from everything in life. I don’t blame myself for that but I’m definitely noticing it causing other issues with my body that I didn’t have before. 💔

As the saying goes if you don’t move it, you lose it! That being said I have lost so much weight and muscle making me feel constantly fatigued and weak. The combination of COVID-19 and the loss of my loved ones has set me back emotionally and physically in so many ways.

My goal is to get assistance paying for therapy services that I know will dramatically affect my strength and mentality. I plan to really work hard at a spinal cord injury recovery gym where I can get the special help I need to get my health back to even better than it was before. 👩🏼‍🦼💪

For example, the closest one to me is a place called Pushing Boundaries where they have the special equipment I need that far surpasses what they have in the rehab hospitals (that I do not qualify for) as well as a personal trainer to guide me with their knowledge of the body. There are also mobile therapy services like a company called Vertical Therapy where they can come to my home and offer the same things.🏋🏼‍♀️🏡

I know that I need to reach a higher potential right now to heal myself so I can continue my dreams to help others with disabilities. The problem is the cost of these services being over $115+ an hour which is completely out of my price availability as they only provide me with a small disability check every month. 💸💸

When I imagine what I desire for the next year of my life it would be getting in the best health that I can possibly be in, use my love of helping others to go from an internship into a career, and do everything in my power to make my Dad and Grandmother very proud of me.. not just for becoming my best self but to share all the love I have for helping others with as many people as I can. 🙏❤

My Grandmother told me that “God didn’t give a problem, he gave me a promotion and a platform to sit on that will help impact all those around me.” So far she has been 100% accurate! 🥰

I do not want my situation to stop me from having all the same blessings that others. I know I am still capable of anything as long as I am brave enough to ask for help when I really need it. Getting help with financially affording this special therapy would make the last 7yr struggle worth it knowing I will finally get the special one on one therapy that I have needed for so many years now. ❤️‍🩹🤝

Thank you so much for reading a little about me as I could go on forever. I really look forward to hearing back from you guys! 😊🤗

Thanks again! Talk soon! 🤞🤞

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More SCI Heroes

Please share these stories during the month of September to help us raise awareness for spinal cord injury:

SCI Heroes

Ian Malesiewski

I was wrestling at the junior freestyle and Greco world team trials. It was my first match of the Greco portion of the tournament and I threw my opponent. I landed hitting the mat with my...

Rhonda Williams
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Rhonda Williams

I am a C5 C6 quadriplegic who had a car accident when I was 16 in 1989 in Virginia. Through the many years of living as a quadriplegic I have had ebbs and flows. I met my husband while living in...

David Wieselmann
SCI Heroes

David Wieselmann

I was Mt. Biking with friends up in Vermont after work. We were cutting down a hill at the very end of run, and my front wheel sunk in some soft dirt. I went over the handlebars and did a...

Stephanie Nichols-Rodas
SCI Heroes

Stephanie Nichols-Rodas

I had a car accident May 6th,2017, early in the morning on my way to work. Another car was going to hit me, so I swerved and hit a concrete median while merging on to the freeway. I flipped 3...

Eden Hoelscher
SCI Heroes

Eden Hoelscher

On December 23, 2015, our five-year-old daughter, Eden, collapsed on the ground after doing a backbend on our living room floor. Within 30 minutes, she was paralyzed from the waist down. She was...

Rebecca Koltun
SCI Heroes

Rebecca Koltun

On March 13, 2021, I was skiing with some friends in Vermont. While I do not recall the day itself, I was told that I had a very bad fall. I woke up in a hospital in New Hampshire, paralyzed from...

Rob Balucas
SCI Heroes

Rob Balucas

hey, i’m rob This part of my story starts in 2015. That year was a shaping up to be a breakout year for my business and me. My business, a boutique creative agency, was on track to grow by 12%...

Stevie VanAusdale
SCI Heroes

Stevie VanAusdale

I was in a car accident the summer going into my junior year of high school. I was with 4 friends. We made the poor choice of throwing water bottles at other cars, which caused one car to chase...

Casey Ellin
SCI Heroes

Casey Ellin

On June 1st, 2013, when Casey was only 26 years old, he had an accident at Jones Beach that forever changed his life. After diving into the ocean, he fractured his C4 – C6 vertebrae, leaving him...

Michael Kim
SCI Heroes

Michael Kim

38 years old father of two young children, PARALYZED. This fund is set up for Mike's family during a time of incredible heartache, to help them navigate a long road of recovery and treatment....

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DISCLAIMER:

Walking With Anthony receives thousands of grant applications every year from individuals with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) in desperate need of help. Although we are not able to directly support every individual, for your participation you will receive valuable resources regarding mentorship, mental health, community, advice, and education to help you on your SCI journey. 30 stories will be chosen to share on social media, and those individuals will also receive $200 of wellness supplements to aid in their recovery.

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