Facing life's challenges with a "can-do attitude" is not always easy, but that's what one Atlanta woman is striving for every day.
Yvette Pegues lost the use of her legs but she has still found a way to rise up - and she has made it her mission to help others do the same. She is ready to tackle just about anything, despite what some could view as a limitation.
"Life was supposedly great until it wasn't," she said.
To understand, you have to go back several years to her diagnosis of Arnold Chiari Malformation. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke describes a Chiari malformation as structural defects in the base of the skull and cerebellum, the part of the brain that controls balance.
"My brain stem was too long at birth; didn't know anything about it but, at this point, the paralysis was actually caused by my brain falling into my spinal cord," Yvette said.
That meant surgery, a procedure that would forever change her life.
"As a result of that operation, I walked in and never walked back out," she said.
Adjusting to her new normal was agonizing.
"I don't know if I was feeling sorry for myself," she said. "I do know I was in a lot of pain, but then, my then-7-year-old son asked his teacher was his mommy gonna die, and I said okay, I gotta get up."
That is what she has done ever since - take on and rise above life's hurdles. She has written a book, competed in and won several wheelchair pageants, and started an organization to help connect people with disabilities with resources.
That brings us back to today. Yvette's now saying yes to even more adaptive sports. Using special tools and a pulling method, Yvette went rock climbing at Stone Summit in Atlanta.
That was thanks to the help of Catalyst Sports, a non-profit organization that aims to empower people with physical disabilities through adaptive sports.
PHOTOS | Yvette Pegues continues to move
Yvette and others with disabilities, some of them invisible to the eye, are meeting and mastering new challenges and goals. Mark Huckeba, or "Coach Huck" as he's known, volunteers with the group.
"Our primary goal is to invite these individuals, inspire them to do these activities, challenge them in new ways," he said.
Click here to learn more about Catalyst Sports, their services and how you can get involved.
Nicola Say is not a stranger to rock climbing, she did it before an accident left her paralyzed from the waist down, but that does not stop her from racing to the top.
For Say, it's all about inclusion - inviting others who may be different in.
"We are humans, we're able," Say said. "We are able to do everything you guys can do, maybe a little bit differently or a little adjusted, but we love to do the same things you guys do."
She said people with disabilities like to have a good time too. So, whether it is taking on a skateboard park or new adventures on the water, count on Yvette to sign up, leading the way for others learning to look beyond the limits placed on them by life or society.
"As far as I'm concerned, there's really nothing that stops me," said Yvette said. "If it's adaptive, and my husband gives me his blessing and he doesn't mind a few more gray hairs, I just do it!"
That is the same attitude she hopes to inspire in others.
"I say life doesn't end at the point of the injury," she said. "You can live forward after a life-changing event."
Click here to find out more about Yvette Pegues and how you can connect with her.
