Wheelies Around the World

Hi, my name is Alysia Kezerian and I am 22 years old. On Aug 2, 2015, my friend and I were hiking in Oregon when I fell over 50 ft off the side of a mountain, shattered my L2 vertebrae, and immediately lost function in my legs. I have always been someone who created a clear path to follow to accomplish all of the things I have wanted for myself. With my new paralysis, I was terrified that such a path was no longer possible and that my life would be of lesser value because of my inability to walk. However, I spent my next 10 weeks at Craig Rehabilitation Hospital in Denver and soon realized that my legs do not get to define my happiness and I can STILL do everything. From there, I moved back up to the University of Oregon to finish up my degree in Business Marketing, was the commencement speaker at my graduation ceremony, and even studied abroad in Vienna, Austria and traveled to 10 different countries while I was there. While life may be a bit more difficult at times, I have found a strength in me that I didn't even know I had. I still work hard every day to prove all of the impossibles possible and to prove to other wheelchair users that life does not have to be mediocre. Life can still be wonderful, and you might have to work at it a bit harder, but you'll never know until you try. To see some of my travels abroad, search my hashtag #wheeliesaroundtheworld