How it all started...
My name is Ray Sellers (@raysellers_). I was shot 3 times on February 9th, 2016 from an act of violence in the streets of Oakland, CA leaving me a C5-C6 quadriplegic. Adapting was tough very tough. I fell into a deep depression not wanting to do anything, not getting out of bed, no motivation for therapy, etc. I couldn’t see any further than my condition. I was angry pushing away all the love and little help I had around me.
My turning point
My turning point was when I met a fellow quad in my area. He opened my eyes to the fact that I’m still living and that there is life after an SCI. He connected me with some resources and organizations in our area that helped get me back to living life. I started getting in touch with every foundation and organization I could find and started participating in every activity I could and just putting myself back out there.
What keeps me grounded
Working out has been a great avenue to help me with depression and staying motivated. Rugby has been another great avenue meeting others that’s fighting and overcoming the same struggle made me a believer that life after an SCI was possible and that I could be independent.
My advice
My advice to newly injured quads would be to get up every day because there’s huge power in just waking up every day and finding out where the quads are in your area. Reach out to see what they're doing and that’ll hold your interest. I promise things will feel better from there.
