HOW WE ROLL
PODCASTER
Rhonel Cinous Four years after sustaining a C5 injury, Rhonel Cinous is using his podcast to rediscover who he is through conversations with others from the SCI community.
Ramping Up
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s a Haitian-American, Rhonel Cinous always wanted to go to Haiti, but when he finally got his opportunity, things did not go as he had hoped. Cinous, a Miami native, went to Haiti in 2016 to promote the morning radio show he hosted and see the country, but on a snorkeling trip during his second day, he broke his neck on his first dive. “I don’t know if I hit a sandbar, but I rolled over my neck and it was like someone hit pause on my life,” he says. Prior to his injury, Cinous lived a high-paced life: working two jobs, going to events and doing the radio show while remaining extremely social and upbeat the whole time. Now, he found himself lying in bed, waiting for his power chair to be delivered. “All those activities came to a screeching halt. I was stuck at home in bed and I’m very private, so having people around me 24/7, touching my stuff and touching me was very weird for someone so independent,” he says. But having all those people around also gave him a sounding board for everything he was feeling and helped him get a grip on
his situation. He realized he wouldn’t be able to work or attend events like he used to, but he recognized the pause would give him a chance to re-evaluate who he was. “Slowing down is still helping me figure out who I am and what I want to do with life, and I think I’ve sort of answered it,” says Cinous. Since his injury, Cinous has always wanted to find his way back to radio. His spot on the morning show on the nation’s only Haitian-American radio station was always open for him — he even guest-hosted occasionally — but being on air at 8 a.m. everyday and maintaining his rehab schedule wasn’t feasible. Without Cinous, the show went another direction, and the station owners eventually canceled it. The first year of his injury, Cinous realized the challenges of SCI were more mental than physical. Focusing most of his time on physical therapy was fine, until a pressure sore laid him up for another six months. And to make matters worse, he and his girlfriend had split up only months before. “That had to be my lowest point mentally and emotionally,”
BEST ADVICE FOR HIRING AN ATTENDANT: Get to know them first. Get references from people you may know from therapy or healthcare providers, be forthright and be your own best advocate.
MOST PIE-IN-THE-SKY ASPIRATION: I’m a huge mixed martial arts fan and one of my dreams is to call a fight or be a color commentator on the side.
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NEW MOBILITY
BEST DATING STRATEGY: Be willing to put yourself out there. If you’re comfortable with who you are and how you present yourself, people around you will be comfortable.
