GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A Gwinnett County man needs your help with purchasing a new handicap accessible van.
Twelve years ago, Arquevious “Que” Crane was the star receiver when he was a student at South Gwinnett High School in Snellville. While playing in his third game of the season, his life changed forever.
“We were playing against Buford [High School], and I took a hit. I’ve taken hits like that before, but that one felt different,” Crane said.
That tackle injured Crane’s C-5 and C-6 and left him paralyzed from the chest down.
“I didn’t know my injury was that severe as it was until I woke up in the hospital,” he added.
Crane told 11Alive that this life-altering injury made an already difficult life more complicated.
At the age of 12, Crane’s mother went missing and has still not been found. His grandmother became his primary caretaker.
Through the hardships, Crane persevered. He went on to become the first man in his family to graduate from high school and from college.
“I really wanted to break those generational curses,” Crane said.
“After the injury, I had to make a shift in my mindset. I no longer wanted to live in that victim mentality by making excuses or blaming others,” he added.
Crane uses the physical and emotional pains of his past to inspire others and spends time speaking to youth as a motivational speaker.
He told 11Alive that his current van, however, is unreliable, and he often misses speaking engagements and other community events.
“With the things that I went through in life, I came to understand that someone else needs that information, “he said.
“Me taking my pain and turning it into my passion and my purpose, it was just me becoming that voice of hope and I feel as if we need more of that.”
Members of the Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office launched a GoFundMe page in support of Crane’s $65,000 goal to purchase a new vehicle and make modifications.
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