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Nov. 7th, 2016 at 10:27 AM
Hiking all 2,190 miles of the Appalachian Trail is a tremendous accomplishment for anyone, but it's an unbelievable feat for an individual who is paralyzed from the chest down. Yet Stacey Kozel, who left her wheelchair behind last March to tackle the rigorous trail, has done just that -- this month, she completed her solo seven-month long hike from Georgia to Maine! The 41-year-old from Medina, Ohio, who is able to walk thanks to a special pair of braces that act like a mechanical exoskeleton, says that the journey was grueling at times but she was determined not to quit, “I didn't start out doing this because I thought it was going to be easy,” says Kozel. "Climbing up the mountain, it's tough. But once you get to the top, there's always these great views that make it all worth it. I think the possibilities are endless, actually. That's what I always say."
Kozel became paralyzed two years ago after a lupus flare-up, an autoimmune disease that she's battled since her teens. While lupus affects everyone differently, in Kozel's case, it attacks her central nervous system, causing her to lose muscle function. After a severe attack in March 2014, she explains, "I regained core and arm strength. But with my legs, it’s permanent paralysis from now on.” Kozol says that she felt "trapped in my wheelchair" and "just dying to get outside," so she began researching new technologies that could help improve her mobility. That's when she discovered the Ottobock C-Brace, a high-tech brace with a built-in microprocessor and hydraulic system that allows the leg to move.
For over a year, the braces were out of reach -- the state-of-the-art technology comes with the high price tag of $75,000 and Kozel's health insurance company deemed it an 'unnecessary' expense. Although she says it was a "depressing" period, Kozel, however, refused to be deterred and appealed each denial. After a year of appeals, her request was finally approved and she quickly took to the streets and local trails in her new braces. That's when she decided to hike -- not just locally, but the entire Appalachian Trail. She hopes that her journey will help more people who use wheelchairs learn about this new technology. As she explained in an interview earlier this year: "WHEN I make it back to Mt. Katahdin on my thru hike, insurance companies will have a much tougher time telling others that the braces are 'not necessary.'"
Even with the braces, the journey was not an easy one -- Kozel can’t climb boulders or steep inclines, so she had to throw her backpack ahead and sit down and scoot backwards over sections; “I try not to be too proud,” she said last summer. The braces also need to be charged every two days, which she did with help from “trail angels”, people who live close to the trail who offer hikers beds, meals, or, in her case, an electrical outlet. One of the most challenging points of the hike, however, was the final steep climb at the trail's end aup Mount Katahdin in Maine.
Kozel -- whose trail nickname was fittingly "Ironwill" -- recounts that how she "literally crawled to the summit" after freezing rain and high winds repeatedly knocked her over and her hands were too frozen to grip her poles. Even so, she persevered and reached the summit; "I didn't want to let anyone down. I didn't care if I had to crawl. I wanted to do it," she observed. "The worst day on the trail is far better than the best day in the hospital."
To send Stacey a note of congratulations for this incredible accomplishment on her Facebook page, visit Stacey Kozel
For a fantastic book about the first woman to ever hike the entire Appalachian Trail -- at the age of 67 -- we highly recommend “Grandma Gatewood’s Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman who Saved the Appalachian Trail” at http://amzn.to/29lu3wN
For a new picture book about Grandma Gatewood for young readers, check out "When Grandma Gatewood Took a Hike" for ages 5 to 9 at http://
For many books for young readers about the wonders of outdoor discovery, visit our blog post, "Explore Your World: 25 Mighty Girl Books About Outdoor Discovery," at http://
For many girl-empowering books for children and teens about the importance of determination, visit our "Perseverance" book section at http://amgrl.co/1hNzWVS
And, for an excellent new parenting book about the benefits of outdoor play and exploration for kids, check out "Balanced and Barefoot: How Unrestricted Outdoor Play Makes for Strong, Confident, and Capable Children" at http://
For over a year, the braces were out of reach -- the state-of-the-art technology comes with the high price tag of $75,000 and Kozel's health insurance company deemed it an 'unnecessary' expense. Although she says it was a "depressing" period, Kozel, however, refused to be deterred and appealed each denial. After a year of appeals, her request was finally approved and she quickly took to the streets and local trails in her new braces. That's when she decided to hike -- not just locally, but the entire Appalachian Trail. She hopes that her journey will help more people who use wheelchairs learn about this new technology. As she explained in an interview earlier this year: "WHEN I make it back to Mt. Katahdin on my thru hike, insurance companies will have a much tougher time telling others that the braces are 'not necessary.'"
Even with the braces, the journey was not an easy one -- Kozel can’t climb boulders or steep inclines, so she had to throw her backpack ahead and sit down and scoot backwards over sections; “I try not to be too proud,” she said last summer. The braces also need to be charged every two days, which she did with help from “trail angels”, people who live close to the trail who offer hikers beds, meals, or, in her case, an electrical outlet. One of the most challenging points of the hike, however, was the final steep climb at the trail's end aup Mount Katahdin in Maine.
Kozel -- whose trail nickname was fittingly "Ironwill" -- recounts that how she "literally crawled to the summit" after freezing rain and high winds repeatedly knocked her over and her hands were too frozen to grip her poles. Even so, she persevered and reached the summit; "I didn't want to let anyone down. I didn't care if I had to crawl. I wanted to do it," she observed. "The worst day on the trail is far better than the best day in the hospital."
To send Stacey a note of congratulations for this incredible accomplishment on her Facebook page, visit Stacey Kozel
For a fantastic book about the first woman to ever hike the entire Appalachian Trail -- at the age of 67 -- we highly recommend “Grandma Gatewood’s Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman who Saved the Appalachian Trail” at http://amzn.to/29lu3wN
For a new picture book about Grandma Gatewood for young readers, check out "When Grandma Gatewood Took a Hike" for ages 5 to 9 at http://
For many books for young readers about the wonders of outdoor discovery, visit our blog post, "Explore Your World: 25 Mighty Girl Books About Outdoor Discovery," at http://
For many girl-empowering books for children and teens about the importance of determination, visit our "Perseverance" book section at http://amgrl.co/1hNzWVS
And, for an excellent new parenting book about the benefits of outdoor play and exploration for kids, check out "Balanced and Barefoot: How Unrestricted Outdoor Play Makes for Strong, Confident, and Capable Children" at http://
If there's a will, there's a way...
And, sometimes, age really is just a number:
Adorable 97-year-old woman walks local shelter dogs every day to stay active
When Noelia Garella was a child, she was rejected from a preschool after its director told her parents "no monsters here" -- today, the 31-year-old Argentinian woman is the first person with Down syndrome to become a preschool teacher in her country! Although she had been working as an assistant in toddler classes for several years, Garella broke through a major barrier recently when she was promoted to co-teacher in charge of a class. Her promotion generated significant debate in the community as to whether a person with Down syndrome should be given such responsibility. Over the past few months, however, Garella has won over her detractors with her teaching skills and affection for the children in her class. “Ever since I was little, I have always wanted to be a teacher, because I like children so much,” she says. “I adore this.”
Garella remembers the stigma she and her family faced when she was a child, including being called a "monster," but she never lost her optimism and determination. “That teacher is like a story that I read to the children,” she explains. “She is a sad monster, who knows nothing and gets things wrong.” Even still, when the preschool considered promoting her, it kicked off a debate in which parents, teachers, and even the mayor of her city, Córdoba, weighed in. However, Alejandra Senestrari, the former director of the school, says, “With time, even those who had been opposed joined in the initiative to hire Noe as a teacher. We very quickly realized that she had a strong vocation. She gave what the children in the nursery classes most appreciate, which is love.”
At the Jermonito school, Garella -- who is believed to be the first preschool teacher with Down syndrome in all of Latin America -- now teaches a class of two- and three-year-olds. The school's current director Susana Zerdan says “It has been a unique experience for the staff. The way the children accept her, incorporating her naturally into the school -- there is a lesson in life there for us all.” Garella, meanwhile, loves her time with the children, and she’s thrilled to be showing the world that Down syndrome isn’t the end of a person's potential. “I always feel good with the children. Their parents love me and the other teachers and principals I have had are wonderful,” Garella says. And, she adds that she especially loves her specialization in reading, observing: "I want [the children] to read and listen, because in society people have to listen to one another.”
Kudos to Noelia Garella for her wonderful work with children and for helping to lead the way for other people with Down syndrome to follow their dreams!
There are several wonderful children's books about kids with Down syndrome that are perfect for teaching the value of acceptance of differences, including the excellent "We'll Paint the Octopus Red" (http://
For adult readers, there is also a touching memoir by the father of a daughter with Down syndrome, “An Uncomplicated Life: A Father’s Memoir of His Exceptional Daughter” at http://
One way to make socialization easier for kids with disabilities is to ensure that they are represented in children’s literature! For a selection of books featuring characters with disabilities, check out our recent blog post “Many Ways To Be Mighty: 20 Books Starring Mighty Girls with Disabilities” at http://
For children's books that celebrate the power of a great teacher like Noelia to change a child’s life, check out our blog post, “Honoring Educators: 20 Books About Mighty Girls and Their Teachers” at http://
And, for tolerance-building books for children and teens that encourage acceptance of differences, be they due to gender, race, ethnicity, religion, class, sexual orientation, appearance, or ability, visit our "Tolerance & Acceptance" section at http://amgrl.co/1J8VTaN
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