Growing up Vanessa lived a very active lifestyle, as she was fortunate to experience a wide range of sports, activities, and places at a young age. Before the age of 15 she had traveled the country river rafting, snorkeling, hiking, and skiing. Her passion for softball and track kept her kept her constantly active in school and for Vanessa, life was good.
On Easter Sunday, April 12, 1998, her and her family were in a tragic car accident. Vanessa lost
her life twice; once while in care flight to the hospital and once on the operating table. Due to a
defected seatbelt, her internal organs were ruptured leaving her without a spleen and kidney
and fighting for her life. In addition to her internal injuries she suffered from an incomplete T-
12/L1 spinal cord injury.
After waking up from an induced coma a month later with no idea of the extent of her injuries,
Vanessa thought she was going to walk out of the hospital. Little did she know her life had been
changed forever.
The hardest part was she did not know who she was anymore; she had lost her purpose in life.
As result of her depression she lost complete confidence in herself and turned to drugs for many
years. Despite several failed abusive relationships and drug use she still found a way to better
herself. In 2007 Vanessa received her Bachelors degree in Sociology and her Masters degree
seven years later. In between that time Vanessa gave birth to a beautiful baby girl who changed
her outlook on life. Vanessa finally had a reason bigger than herself to live. Vanessa finally
realized that her disability wasn’t something that could define her but something she had to
embrace.
In 2014 Vanessa met David and found the Adaptive Training Foundation (ATF). ATF believed in
Vanessa and in turn she started to believe in herself for the first time since her accident. After
working out with ATF for 6 months and using the solo step for 2 months, she got rid of the
crutches she used for 15 years and graduated to a cane. Vanessa can now hold her daughter's
hand, hold her head up high with confidence, no longer settle because she values herself, and
most importantly embrace her abilities rather than her disability. “I love me again. ATF not only
strengthens you physically, but it helps you embrace yourself and find confidence that may have been lost due to a tragedy.”
Vanessa has now found joy and a new challenge in competing in Crossfit competitions. Since
Vanessa has started working out she has become stronger than she ever dreamed. She has been
able to gain strength and muscle in areas she didn’t think possible, is able to contract muscles
she previously didn’t have control over, and has regained muscles in areas she thought wasn’t
possible which has motivated her to continue on her athletic journey as an adaptive athlete with
Crossfit.
Vanessa is now a leader in the ATF community and pays it forward by continuing to train other adaptive athletes.
