PEARL, Miss.—For years, David Smith saw the country from the driver’s seat of an 18-wheeler truck. It was a lifestyle that he loved and one he thought was gone forever when a 1994 motorcycle accident left him a paraplegic.
After trying different types of jobs, Smith realized he would never find anything he enjoyed as much as professional driving. “It’s just in my blood. I don’t like sitting behind a desk all day. I like being out and getting to see different stuff,” Smith said.
RIDGELAND, Miss.—The Independence, a 69,000 cubic foot competition balloon sponsored by Methodist Rehabilitation Center, will participate in the annual Celebrate America Balloon Glow at Northpark Mall in Ridgeland on July 4 and at the Canton Balloon Festival July 5-6.
During the next few months the balloon, which symbolizes freedom and independence for people with disabilities, will appear at other festivals and balloon events throughout the state.
JACKSON, Miss.—Fireworks vendors are predicting booming fireworks sales this Independence Day, a trend fueled by post-war patriotism and an increase in the number of states that permit the pyrotechnics.
To prevent a corresponding rise in Fourth of July injuries, holiday revelers are being reminded that incorrect use of fireworks can turn a joyful celebration into a dangerous event.
JACKSON, Miss.—Kay Cashion’s first transatlantic flight taught her the folly of spending nine hours glued to a cramped airline seat.
“I had this awful swelling in my feet,” said the teacher at Northwest Rankin High School in Rankin County. “I had to unlace my shoes just to wear them and it took two days for the swelling to go down.”
STARKVILLE, Miss.—When British model, entrepreneur and amputee Heather Mills McCartney spoke to a conference in Jackson celebrating the achievements of people with disabilities, there was at least one woman in the audience who completely identified with her.
A dancer her entire life, Margaret McCarty, of Starkville, lost her left leg three years ago when a drunk driver crashed into her. Like McCartney, whose left leg was severed when she was hit by a police motorcycle responding to a call, McCarty was determined to succeed despite her disability.
JACKSON, Miss.—When a 1990 car accident left Gregg Vowell paralyzed, he was afraid life would have much less to offer. Every day he realizes how wrong that idea was.
Vowell of Columbia is one of seven disabled dancers participating in “Medalists and Mississippians,” Saturday, June 28, at 7:30 p.m. at Thalia Mara Hall in Jackson.
JACKSON, Miss.—Joey Hawkins likes to see his football players working hard but he knows even the toughest athletes have limits in the heat of Mississippi summers.
Hawkins, head football and track coach at Jackson Academy, and his staff make sure players get plenty of fluids, starting the night before a practice and all during the day. They watch for signs of heat exhaustion and on extremely hot days they take breaks every 15 to 20 minutes.
JACKSON—Methodist Rehabilitation Center honored one of its most loved and valued staff members with a birthday and anniversary party.
Fair, a golden retriever who is turning six, is celebrating four years of working with spinal cord and brain-injured patients at the Jackson hospital. He is a canine companion and was trained in Santa Rosa, Calif., to work with patients who have disabilities or limitations.
FLOWOOD—For a group of physically challenged athletes from Methodist Rehabilitation Center, the arrival of summer isn’t signaled by heat and humidity, but rather cold and ice. Throughout the summer they will gather at The Ice Park in Flowood for weekly sled hockey practice sessions. Coached by Methodist Rehab therapists, they will form the state’s first sled hockey team.
JACKSON, Miss.—Evonda Henley had noticed collection boxes for the Ronald McDonald House at various McDonalds restaurants, but she never thought much about them, until a few weeks ago.
Her 13-year-old daughter Camelia, or “Millie” as her family calls her, was injured in a car accident in April and spent weeks in a Jackson hospital. During that time, Evonda Henley and her husband Henry faced either frequent trips from their home in Eupora, 118 miles from Jackson, or the cost of staying in a local hotel for several weeks.