PORTLAND, Oregon — An Oregon woman who became paralyzed in a skiing accident is proving that sometimes the only limitations are the ones we set on ourselves.
Joanna Adams works as a physician assistant at Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) in Portland. She helps people recover, often from traumatic health conditions like spinal cord injuries and neurological diseases.
"We can't make them perfect, but we can give them a chance at sometimes a normal life, just with adaptations," Adams said.
It's something she herself is familiar with. Adams became paralyzed at the age of 21 while skiing on Mount Hood. She tried to race a friend down the mountain.
"It was really icy that day and I ended up catching an edge and when I caught the edge, it threw me in a tumble," Adams said. "I was already an EMT at the time, and when I stopped moving, I was on my back with my knees bent, and I knew immediately I was paralyzed."
Adams said she fractured her T7 vertebral body and that crushed her spinal cord about 40%.
"I am this 21-year-old girl that is very blessed in life. I have no medical issues and I’m very athletic," she said, reflecting on her life at the time. "I was a long-distance runner. I snowboarded. I wakeboarded. I hiked, all these things — and suddenly, I’m looking at a life that I know I'm not going to walk again."
It was an overwhelming and tough situation, but Adams is a tough woman. She started her recovery at the Legacy Good Samaritan Rehabilitation Institute of Oregon, also known as RIO. It’s a place dedicated to helping people become as independent as possible. This year, it's celebrating 75 years serving people in Oregon and Southwest Washington.
"Here at RIO, it was, 'We’re gonna get you dressed. We’re gonna have you take a shower by yourself. We're going to have you learn how to transfer (from a wheelchair to a bed,'" Adams said.
Adams began recovering and adapting to her new normal. She met her husband, Wayne, and they had two kids. She also accomplished something she thought was impossible after her accident: becoming a physician assistant (PA).
"I always wanted to be a PA, even before this whole injury happened. Some people say, 'Oh, because of your injury you wanted to be a PA.' And I tell them, 'No, despite my injury, I became a PA,'" she said.
To her knowledge, Adams said she was the first person in a wheelchair to graduate from PA school in Oregon. Her life trajectory is different than she ever thought it would be.
"Just because it's different doesn't mean that it's bad," she said. "I just have a different way of doing things."
She skis, snow camps, plays tennis, mountain bikes and even snorkels. Adams wants people to know that there is still beauty in life, whatever the situation.
"What I do in life is just as fulfilling and just as rewarding and just as accomplished as anyone else walking around out there," Adams said.
Not only does she help people recover from all sorts of health-related issues, but she also mentors people who have experienced a traumatic injury.
"Don't let your expectations lead to disappointment that it wasn't the way you thought it was gonna be," she said.