Meet Adaptive Athlete: Eva De Jesus Collazo

Technical Sergeant Eva De Jesus grew up in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She enjoyed dancing growing up and graduated from University Garden High School. After high school, she went on to earn a Bachelor’s Degree and enlisted in the Air Force in 2012. She has been in the military for 15 years, working in Security Forces, the law enforcement arm of the Air Force.

 

On March 1st, 2022, Eva was a passenger in a vehicle when the driver fell asleep at the wheel, ending in a car accident. The incident left Eva with a T11-T12 incomplete spinal cord injury and required her to use a wheelchair. Mentally, Eva worked to remain positive after her injury. However, she experienced physical and social challenges as she worked to adapt to her new “normal” and felt unable to go out and do things she used to do by herself regularly, such as going to the beach. Eva learned about ATF from an alumnus at a basketball camp for paralyzed veterans and decided to apply for ReDefine.

 

Eva wants to become stronger physically, find new challenges to conquer, and doesn’t want her injury to stop her from living a fulfilling life. She also wants to develop more mental tools that can help her talk to other people about her experiences and help others with similar conditions. Eva is looking forward to seeing just how far she can push herself during her time at ATF.