MEET ASHLEY
Hello! My name is Ashley and I’m a C3 C4 incomplete quadriplegic as of 2019. I remember at the beginning of my injury feeling like my life was over and there was no future to look forward to. While I did have to go through a grieving process of the body I once had, my thinking couldn’t have been further from the truth. Like many newly disabled people, I’ve adapted to my new mind, body, and environment. The one thing holding me back, was not having the freedom and independence to drive. Thanks in part to Rally 4 Reilly and Friends and the generous hearts of others I’ve met along the way, I’ve been able to get back on the road. My first time back behind the wheel, I drove for twenty minutes around my neighborhood (there may have been many happy crying breaks) with a sense of pride I thought I lost three years ago. Each milestone of independence I gain, whether large or small, adds to my self-confidence, self-love, and sense of self. My car mechanic told me this as I left the lot, “Don’t get stuck in your everyday routine. Get out and drive because you can. Go out and live your life, do the things that make you happy, and enjoy the process.” I can happily say that I’m another step closer to living my life, not letting life happen around me because I can
