Today we welcome the one and only Dr. Brooke Ellison to the podcast!In September 1990 Brooke was hit by a car on her way home from school. She was 11 years old. The accident left her paralyzed from the neck down and dependent on a ventilator. In 2000, ten years after her accident, she graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University. She gave a commencement address which was covered extensively by media outlets around the world, including the TODAY Show and New York Times.Since her graduation from Harvard, Brooke has worked as a public speaker, delivering a message of hope, motivation, and strength in the face of obstacles. In 2002, she published her first book, Miracles Happen, which was subsequently made into a movie, The Brooke Ellison Story, directed by Christopher Reeve. Brooke continued her education and graduated from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government with a Master’s degree in Public Policy. In 2006 she ran for New York State Senate. She also founded The Brooke Ellison Project, a nonprofit organization advocating for stem cell and biomedical research. Today Dr. Ellison is Associate Professor at Stony Brook University.Interested in learning more? Check out the links provided below:Learn more about Dr. Ellison’s incredible effortshttps://www.brookeellison.com/The Pillars of Hope, TEDxSBUWomenhttps://youtu.be/hA28_fd5e1AThe Brooke Ellison Story (2004), based on the book Miracles Happen: One Mother, One Daughter, One Journey written by Brooke and Jean Ellison (2002), directed by Christopher Reevehttps://www.imdb.com/title/tt0407612/Look Both Ways, Dr. Ellison’s most recent bookhttps://www.brookeellison.com/look-both-waysThanks again to Dr. Ellison for joining us on today's podcast! This production is a collaborative effort of volunteers working to create a quality audio and visual experience around the subject of spinal cord injury. A special shout out of appreciation to Clientek for providing studio space and top-notch recording equipment. Most importantly, thank YOU for being part of the Spinal Cast audience!Interested in watching these episodes?! Check out our YouTube playlist!https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL40rLlxGS4VzgAjW8P6Pz1mVWiN0Jou3vIf you'd like to learn more about the MCPF you can visit our website - https://mcpf.org/Donations are always welcomed - https://mcpf.org/you-can-help/