Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation Welcomes Juan Garibay as a Community Ambassador

During a gang-related shooting in 1993, Juan came under fire which led to his spinal cord being severely damaged.  Due to his injury, he became a “T-12 complete” paraplegic, which means he was paralyzed from his waist down. Following his initial hospitalization, he entered the rehabilitation program at Rancho Los Amigos, initially spending about five weeks in rehab.

“After my rehab, I returned home, but it takes some time to get out of your old ways,” says Juan. “About three years later, I decided I was going to change my lifestyle; I knew that if I didn’t, I’d wind up dead or in prison for the rest of my life. That’s when I returned to Rancho as a volunteer, and that’s when my life turned around.”

“Juan is a great role model not just for the Hispanic community, but for anyone looking to change their life,” said Joseph Canose, Vice President, Quality of Life for the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. “While we don’t have definitive statistics on violence-related causes of paralysis, our recent ‘One Degree of Separation’ survey showed that the majority (77%) of spinal cord injuries are accident-related. It’s vital we educate our young people on not becoming another statistic.”

“Inner-city people—both kids & parents—are the ones who aren’t aware of what’s out there in terms of turning their lives around,” says Juan. “They need to know what can be done to make their lives better. That’s why I’m excited about working with the PRC, so that we can raise awareness not just about changing one’s lifestyle, but letting people like me know how to deal and live with paralysis.”

Juan has received his certification on drug and alcohol counseling from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and is currently pursuing his bachelor’s degree. Juan is the proud parent of a teenage daughter and an avid Rancho wheelchair basketball athlete. He enjoys reading, listening to music, and educating children about staying out of trouble. A member of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation’s Paralysis Task Force, he resides in Harbor City, Calif.

Located in Short Hills, N.J. and Westlake Village, Calif., the Paralysis Resource Center (PRC) is a program of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation that offers resources on spinal cord injury, paralysis and mobility-related disabilities. The PRC’s mission is to be a comprehensive, national source of information for people living with paralysis and their caregivers to promote health, foster involvement in the community and improve quality of life. It provides quality information on paralysis in a variety of ways; through highly-trained Information Specialists who can be contacted via telephone at 800-539-7309 or e-mail; through in-person visits to its offices; or through its National Clearinghouse Library of paralysis-related publications available for free loan through interlibrary loan programs. For more information, please visit www.paralysis.org.