Impacting a life can happen with out you even knowing. In 2012 we were e-mailed this letter from a teacher, Michael, to 9 News nominating Sergio for the 9WhoCare Award. As a teacher Michael didn’t know how to help a student in a wheelchair and sought Sergio’s help. At the time Sergio didn’t realize he was making an impact on not only a student’s life as well as a teacher.
To Whom It May Concern: November 19, 2012
I write you today to tell you about a person who I feel is very much deserving of being a 9Who Cares winner. My name is Michael Dischner and I am currently a physical education and health teacher at Yuma Middle School in Yuma, Colorado. I teach grade levels 4-8 and have a student who is in the 6th grade who I had thought was confined to a wheel chair. My student has been confined to this wheel chair the entire time I have known him, but it does not discourage him or keep him from being your everyday 6th grader. After seeing how motivated he was and how willing he was to work, our school sought out help from an individual who was also confined to a wheel chair but has not let it slow him down either. That individual’s name is Sergio Sanchez and he truly deserves to be a 9Who Cares winner.
Sergio is currently a manager at a local farm store in Yuma. He also has quickly become a hero. Sergio takes time out of his day to come and work with the student in a wheelchair during his physical education class. Sergio has helped him to not be confined to his wheel chair and has helped teach him how to get in and out of his wheel chair on his own. Sergio has made a commitment that he has fulfilled without seeking any sort of compensation or praise. He now comes 3 times a week to help the student to help strengthen his upper body. Sergio has my student get out of his wheel chair and have him do sit-ups, push-ups, and dips. It is a fun sight to watch the two work together and see how my student has responded and excelled from seeing Sergio throughout each week.
As a staff we approached Sergio because he has been so successful despite his own disability. Sergio was shot in two separate shootings when he was younger. One of those shootings led him to being paralyzed from the waist down. As I have previously mentioned, he now manages a successful ranch store and raises his family of five. With his busy schedule he still finds time to come in.
The student’s lifestyle has completely changed since meeting Sergio. He now comes to physical education knowing that he is going to learn something new that he can apply to his everyday activities. As a physical educator, I did not know how to help him in a way that Sergio has. He has helped him realize that he can still be a part of everyday life and has helped teach him strategies to do so. He has volunteered all this time and he deserves to be recognized. Please consider Sergio Sanchez as a 9Who Cares winner.
Sergio didn’t win this award but he was touched that Michael nominated him. Sergio enjoys sharing his wheelchair knowledge with other’s and letting people know that a wheelchair cannot hold you back in life.
If you have a story to share e-mail thewheelsofgrace@gmail.com it may be featured on our blog!
I participated in a 48 hour challenge in which Jeff Goins from challenged all of his readers to learn something new in 48 hours. The winners of the challenge had the opportunity to win his Art of Work Course. I was determined to win, and I honestly felt deep down in my heart that I would. My heart told me I had a chance at winning because I prayed to God asking how I could become noticed in the blogging and writing community. I wanted to take the course but I didn’t know how I would pay for it.
I was determined.
I decided that I would learn how to shot and edit a video, something I had never done before. Sergio and I talked about making a video for a while but we put it on the bottom of our list. He was going to be the star of the video and we needed to figure out what he was going to say and find the time to shot. As soon as I read the challenge I knew we had to make the video. Other people made art, sold art, wrote e-books, roasted coffee beans, or anything that they wanted to learn in 48 hours. I learned that if you put your mind to something you truly can accomplish anything you want in 48 hours.
I actually did it in about 8 hours because I was out of town for the first day of the challenge and when I arrived at my parents house my dad was doing yard work. I knew I couldn’t interrupt, he values his lawn, and can often be found outside watching the grass grow. I joined in on the yard work but it was very painful for me because the clock was ticking. I knew I could get it done but I needed his participation and I knew how long it would take him to finish his yard work plus admire his lawn after the work was done. Seriously I have seen that man stare at his lawn longer than I have seen him stare at anything else in this world.
Afterwards I made him take a shower and then I prompted him to get in front of my camera and speak! I uploaded the material on my computer and guessed how the editing software should work. I usually learn by trial and error and googling. The longest part of the entire process was waiting for the footage to upload.
About 1 am the program quit unexpectedly and I almost burst into tears. I looked for my video that was one last step away from being completed and I couldn’t find it. I realized that even though it took me hours to edit the first time I would be faster the second time since I already learned how to do it. I was ready and willing to re-do my work at 1 am because I was DETERMINED to finish and I knew in my heart I could be winning something I really wanted. I had faith that I had a chance at winning. I started to make a new video when some feeling inside of me said to check again for the video and I found it!!! I was so grateful to find the video. I uploaded it, shut my laptop and went to sleep for 4 hours. I got up at 5 am to finish the e-mail to go with the video, and the picture on the home page.
This was not a story to say “look at what I can do in a few hours” but instead a motivation of what you can do in a few hours. What are you motivated or determined to do. Try it out this weekend to be able to learn something new in 48 hours, or even in 8 hours. If you lose a little sleep in the process, don’t worry because it will be worth it.
I waited anxiously ALL day for the results of the winners. And right before I went to bed I found out that I won, along with 2 others. I texted my dad and he was excited for me and immediately following the text I got one that read “Can we re-do the video, I think I can be better at speaking” We both knew that it wasn’t either of our best work.
We knew the video wasn’t the kind of quality we wanted people to see, but we knew it was important for me to finish. This week we took more time and re-made that video. We think this one is of better quality and we know that we can only get better with time at speaking, shooting, and editing.
If you already subscribed to our e-mail list you should receive a new e-mail with a link to the updated video. If you haven’t subscribed yet now is the perfect time. Sign up form is here. After you sign up you’ll get to watch Sergio’s Ten Ways to Keep Rolling On, a video for the walking, rolling, sitting, or standing.
Please check out Jeff Goins and read his new book The Art of Work he has inspired me in so many ways and presented me with an amazing opportunity.
Don’t forget to challenge yourself this weekend. Find something you have always wanted to learn how to do, and do it! Tell me about it, I would love to hear what you learned!
The name Sergio is not a very common name, and My Sergio is very unique.
Once you meet him you cannot help but smile. I hope that most people remember him by his bubbly personality and his desire to make others laugh. I know that his wheelchair also makes meeting him unforgettable especially once you have the opportunity to learn what makes those wheels turn.
I believe my name is even less common than my husband’s name. I don’t have the same personality as he does. In fact I am shy and not as friendly. I have very little humor and I do not travel in a wheelchair. I can see how people would forget my name.
I have learned to live with the fact that most people greet me with a question like this.
“Hello you’re Sergio’s wife, right?”
I usually smile and say”Yes, I am, my name is Norah.”
I have patients in the dental office I work at call and ask to speak to Sergio’s wife. I giggle and say “This is she,” once the patient realizes they are speaking to Sergio’s wife they ask me questions about their dental appointments. Usually Sergio’s wife is good enough for them and they do not ask me for my name.
Once an older lady pulled me aside to say she had a confession to make, she was in love with my husband. I let her know that it was ok with me because I was in love with him too. I bet she didn’t know my name nor did she care to learn it.
Yes, I am Sergio’s wife, my name is Norah and this has been a role that I have played for over 20 years. This role includes loving and supporting him. Being his legs when he cannot venture down a path and being his arms when he cannot reach. I am his voice when he cannot speak; I am his safe place when he needs shelter. I am the one person that knows his fears, his dreams, and his hopes.
I can feel when he is uncomfortable in a setting, especially when it is not fitting for a wheelchair. I know the sighs when it is time to leave a place that cannot fit his needs. I can read his body language when his back and his bottom have been in one place too long. When he falls physically, I know not to make a big deal of it. He’ll pick himself up. When he falls spiritually I know not to make a big deal, but to lift him in prayer.
I know when he is off balanced emotionally, physically and even spiritually. Without him telling me I know when someone or a situation hurts him. I know when to help him with a struggles and I when to back off and let him figure it out. When it’s time to push and when it’s time to let him lead. You may not know my name but he knows when he calls out to me I am here.
I am Norah, Sergio’s wife.
I challenge you to be that kind of spouse that you were created to be. The spouse that is okay with having your name forgotten because you know that the mention of your name brings him comfort………….. As I tread through.
A chair with wheels.
This thing called a wheelchair.
Used by someone who cannot stand. This person has to sit because the ability to stand is not an option. The wheelchair helps a person to move from one place to another. This is how my husband rolls through life.
At the age of 18 God made Sergio take a U-turn on a rocky road, leading him to softer turf. I came along for the ride. At first I wasn’t sure how I would cope with the everyday demands of being in love with a man who is paraplegic. I remember that in the beginning it was tough. I could not show weakness or uncertaties to Sergio. He needed me to be grounded. I was his calm and safe haven during the tough times. I had to learn many new ways to keep life as normal as possible.
One of the first things I learned was how to take apart his wheelchair for traveling. I was slow at first, taking off one tire at a time while pushing the release button. It was hard; hard enough that I had to keep the chair close to Sergio in case I needed his help. Now when we travel and I have to break down the chair to put it in the trunk, I am a pro. I smile when others lovingly try to help me; by the time they make sure that Sergio is comfortable in the car I am done. Like he really needs anyone to baby him with comfort. What does he think he’s handicapped or something? Men especially get a little bent out of shape when their intentions were to help me and I have the chair in the trunk not allowing them to help a girl out. It just comes with practice.
Yes there are some things that are just not possible for Sergio or any person that is wheelchair bound to do and that at times is very frustrating. I have learned through the years to be available to get any job done, not make a big deal about it, and to laugh after I have cried when the task was hard.
When we first bought our home, money was tight and we had to build a homemade ramp. There was no railing and I had to help Sergio by pushing him up the ramp. When the snow came Sergio and I had to devise a plan to get us through the winter. Sergio would call me when he was on his way home and I would begin to shovel the snow. If I was running late getting home from work he would wait and stay at his job until I could get home. I would pile the snow to the sides of the ramp because that was quick and easy, I didn’t want Sergio to have to wait in the car for me to clear the ramp. There were times that getting him in the house was easier then others.
The one winter day I remember the most was when I pushed Sergio half way up the ramp and his wheels caught the ice. He kept trying to force his wheels up, but the ice would not allow them to turn. I tried to give him a good push, but my foot caught the ice right as he wheeled with all his might causing us to fall into the piles of snow to the sides of the ramp. I went to one side he went to the other and the chair flipped backwards down the ramp. I instantly jumped up to my feet but my husband could not. His whole body was in the snow. I grabbed the chair and tried to place it close to him but could not because of the snow, it was too deep, I would have had to wait till spring to get Sergio in the house.
The only way to get him and the chair in the house was for him to transfer himself onto our porch from the pile of snow and then transfer from the porch to the chair. It took three attempts and I had to shove him as he lifted himself. Finally he made it and we both ended up lying on the porch freezing. After I knew that he was okay I started to cry. I tried too hard to help him get into the house safely and I felt tired, cold, and defeated. He let me cry but not for long and said, “I bet our new neighbors saw us and wonder what in the heck we are doing” and started to laugh. I couldn’t help but to start laughing myself. When we realized how ridiculous we looked we knew we needed to get inside. Sergio made more jokes and said, “Come on, Norah, let’s get inside because it’s so cold out here that I cannot feel my legs anymore.” More laughter came as we went into our warm home.
I have so many stories to share about the times that my tears have turn into laughter. I have to remind myself that not very many people can live through what Sergio has lived through. It is a miracle that he is alive. I get excited when I dream of all the adventures that we will get to experience together. Yes there will be more tears but with him they will turn into laughs. God has our back……….As I tread through.
Share with me a story of when your tears have turned into laughter.
might make people think that my childhood was sheltered. That his wheelchair would have hindered us as a family. I don’t think that at all. He still did all the things any normal dad would do. His wheelchair taught everyone in our family that there is a solution to every problem. He never saw his chair as a way of not being able to do something.
A few summers after my brothers were adopted we made a family trip to California. It was my first family vacation with siblings and even though I was 16, I was still excited to go to Disneyland. Our dad rode all the rides with us. He did not stop when his arms were tired from pushing himself around all day. He did not let anyone say that a ride was impossible for him to get on. He rode the tallest roller coaster with me because he knew how much I loved the adrenaline rush. My mom and her able bodied legs refused to go. My brothers were too little and too scared to go with me.
The next day we wanted to go to the beach. After the bus ride to the beach we realized there was no easy way to get a wheelchair to the water. If he tried to roll though the sand his wheels would get stuck. He thought for a moment, looked around and saw two pieces of plywood sticking out of a near-by dumpster. He told us kids to grab him the plywood and lay one piece on the sand. He rolled on to it and we placed the other piece in front. We did this over and over until he reached the water. He got out of his chair and into the ocean and we all swam together as a family. Yes, he can swim thanks for asking.
That is how I remember my childhood. He has taught me all of my life lessons. He has taught me that there is a solution to every problem. Sometimes you have to stop, look around, and get creative. I never remember his wheelchair being a problem. I don’t think it got in the way of anything I wanted to do. I never resented him or his wheelchair. I hope my siblings feel the same way.
He is the man that built me the biggest Barbie house you could imagine. It was made out of an old entertainment center, that’s how big it was. He painted it purple. He used pieces of wallpaper in different rooms so my Barbie’s had décor. Some rooms even had carpet, cut from carpet scraps. He is the most innovative person I know.
He is the man that made me a lemonade stand out of wood. It wasn’t just a table. It was awesome with a built in sign. He even painted it yellow, like a lemon. I was so spoiled that he even made the lemonade to sell. He even gave me multiple quarters in exchange for cups of lemonade. He was my biggest customer and my biggest supporter.
He is the man who taught me how to fish. The man who has taught me the names of all the tools in his toolbox. He has taught me how to be a strong and independent woman. He is the reason why I love action movies. I’d like to think that I get most of my comedic humor naturally, but I know it has to come from him. There are a million different things that he has done for me, but those are the ones that stick out the most in my mind. The ones that make me proud to be his daughter; where I have to stop and look at my life and know that it was great every step and every roll of the way.
