Two years later, in early 2020, what started out looking like a common illness somehow made my legs stop working. Overnight I went from climbing competitively to being unable to stand or move my legs. I started using a wheelchair and my doctors couldn’t tell me if I would be able to walk again, much less climb. All I could think about was going back to climbing. The many months of physical therapy were really tough and super painful, but every time I felt like giving up, the idea of getting back on the wall kept me going. The day I went back to climbing was the day I finally felt for sure that I would be ok. 

In 2019, one of my closest friends at the time was recovering from a stroke and suffered from partial paralysis in some parts of her limbs. I thought I would introduce her to climbing. I didn’t know if she’d be able to or how she would do but to my surprise, she enjoyed it so much and really benefited from it. In 2021 one of my friends was diagnosed with Tourette's syndrome and was really struggling so I introduced him to climbing. When he was climbing he was at peace and many of his ticks subsided while he was climbing because of the amount of focus he could pour into climbing.

After some research, I discovered how many benefits rock climbing can have for individuals with a variety of physical and intellectual disabilities. I wanted to make that known and help make it possible for children with disabilities even if I just impacted them in the slightest way it would be well worth it. That is where the idea for Climbing For All was born. Since then, many of my climbing friends, including some who themselves have disabilities, have joined in the mission. We can’t wait to climb with you!