Val's Story

Val Rivers is used to being surrounded by family...

And lots of them. With five siblings, six children, and ten grandkids, get-togethers are large, noisy affairs. “We have a lot of family gatherings like cookouts and birthdays,” she said. “With all the food, you could starve all week and just eat on the weekend,” she laughed.

When Val’s car was run off the highway by a truck in 2005, her husband Nathaniel and those tight-knit family members were there for her when she sustained a T4/T5 spinal cord injury. Recalling how one of her daughters wouldn’t accept “No” for an answer when she wanted her mom to try something new after the accident, Val said, “I recognized that I did a good job with those gals and they wouldn’t let me down.”

An active grandmother, Val enjoys playing with her younger grandkids and helping the older ones with homework. She’s also been known to splurge a little too much when taking them on shopping trips to the mall.

Even college has become a family affair. While Val had been employed in a number of technical positions before her injury, she had never completed her degree. Though mom and daughter aren’t study partners, she and her youngest daughter, Valkeshia, are both working on their education.

Val’s degree will be in psychology, and she’d like to use it to help other people with spinal cord injuries. “People aren’t always aware of the resources they can be using to have a better quality of life,” she explained. She’d also like for others to benefit from the wisdom she’s gleaned following her injury. “It will test you. You have to endure some challenges, but with persistence and a positive outlook, you still get things accomplished. It’s not the end of your life,” she said.

She’s discovered her ability to adapt to new situations, like bowling from her wheelchair and managing accessibility issues on a college campus. “In a chair you have to be more conscious of the terrain to be safe. It’s a new way of thinking.” Val has gathered quite an education since her injury. “I’ve learned that when I hit an obstacle, I work through it, finding some other way to accomplish the same goal.”