TONY AT SKYDIVE TECUMSEH

He enjoys other things, too, including card and board games, magic tricks, travel, and exercising his brain with word games. After his accident, Tony said the doctors told his mother he would never recover and she should put him into a nursing home for as long as he continued to live. Kathy fought them, and she fought for other things, too, like speech therapy and other programs that would help him have a good life.

“I like hanging out with friends and family and I especially love proving people wrong,” Tony said. “Especially doctors. They said I wouldn’t be able to talk or move again.”

Tony has a lot of pride in his accomplishments thus far. He has determination and perseverance to overcome almost any obstacle in his way. His philosophy is simple. “Because nothing is carved in stone, everything can change,” he said.

Although Facebook isn’t Tony’s thing, he is on Twitter as #Beard_On_Wheels. He describes himself as a “Pink fan, Beard & tattoo enthusiast, thrill seeker, magic lover, and a wheelchair user in that order, builder of Technic LEGO, proud to say I’ve been vaccinated.”

In his memoir, Tony writes that one of his “biggest pet peeves” is other people’s perceptions of him. “When people first look at me, they have preconceived notions about who I am,” he said. “Most people won’t take the time to get to know me, which is one of my biggest pet peeves. I’m sure they would be amazed at what I’ve accomplished in my life, if they took the time to get to know me.” n

By Christine MacIntyre