Sherown Campbell

Athlete turned quadriplegic, now rebuilding life!

[s-camp]

Opening up and morning stretch. I'm a consistent and dedicated person when commit to a task. The problem I run into is that I only have so much time in a day so there's a lot of things that would be really beneficial for my health that I don't get to. However, I have to start squeezing in more stretching or yoga. It's probably just as beneficial or more beneficial than lifting for me at this point. With that said, starting the week off right 😊 #quadriplegic #tetraplegic #sci #spinalcordinjury #mobility #disability #startsomewhere #hope #faith #grateful #myjourney #believe

[s-camp]

Whether it's for recovery or reaching a new PR. It's not always about the big movements or lifting heavy. Sometimes you have to step back and work on the small tedious details over and over. Supermans are one of those exercises for me. 😝 #happyfriday #positivevibes #quadriplegia #tetraplegia #recovery #physicaltherapy #fitness #fitfam #sci #spinalcordinjury #bettereachday #hope #faith #grateful #myjourney #believe (at Broomfield, Colorado)

[s-camp]

Monday with a head cold... Still have to get it in. 😄 I know there's opportunities to rest and take down days, and occasionally I do. For the most part though, my spinal cord injury causes constant tension, spasms, blood pressure problems, and a number of other issues. If I don't work out it's comparable to skipping medication or facing the reality that things could get worse quickly. Giving 110% is a must for recovering from just about anything. Whether it's drugs, mental health, weight loss, or a physical condition like myself, you're in a hole and the only way to make progress is by giving a little bit more than you're comfortable with everyday. The days I don't feel good I still do my best to give 100%, but even that is just considered maintenance. Like the old saying, how bad do you want it? #HappyMonday #motivation #pushyourself #quadriplegic #tetraplegic #sci #spinalcordinjury #paralyzed #improve #everydamnday #recovery #workout #hope #faith #grateful #myjourney #believe

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Throwback: In general I'm pretty positive but when times are hard I simply work harder. It creates an environment with little to do but move forward. For a while during my injury, January - June of 2015, I didn't have a lot of options for living situations, equipment, and training. I was away from my kids and was still pretty dependent for most things; bladder, making food, and a walker, baths, etc. My little sister passed shortly before my injury so her old room became my borrowed space. This picture is where I spent hours each day. I used the dresser as my standing frame, the awards she had as motivation. She struggled with depression for most her life so I used her fight as my inspiration to fight mentally. No exaggeration, I stood as much as I could to try and get my legs firing again, build strength, and endurance. I ate at the dresser, watched tv, played on my phone, and did as much therapy as I could until exhaustion. The bed was directly behind me so I'd push until I was done and had to lay down to rest. It wasn't easy but this little space gave me everything I needed for almost half a year and even in memory, my sister Jaquia helped get me through. I could explain more but this picture pretty much sums up my days for those 6 months. #quadriplegic #tetraplegic #sci #spinalcordinjury #paralyzed #improve #iamadaptive #strength #positivevibes #everydamnday #nevergiveup #keeppushing #hope #faith #grateful #myjourney #believe (at Highlands Ranch, Colorado)

[s-camp]

Parenting moments: I wish it was different but the fact is that my injury/disability has been a huge target over the years in my previous relationship, divorce, and continues. However, my kids only see me as a father. Not only that but they see me as an active father. At a park where all the parents seem to be on their phones, my son was trying to get me to climb all over everything. In the middle of playing he actually things to me and gave me his usual 'I love you'. I asked him why he said thank you and he told me because 'you always play'. It made me proud because he doesn't judge me by how high climb, just that I claim with them. He doesn't care if I ever catch him, he just loves that I'm willing to chase them. He doesn't care that I suck at wrestling, he just loves that I do it. Out of everything that points to me being different because of disability, he only sees me being different because of how active I am. I took my daughter to a Jiu-Jitsu gym to try out the last couple of weeks. At the end of last week she won the couple of games they were playing and I could tell how proud she was. I loved seeing her confidence but what really made me proud though was that she came over and asked me if she could go over and tell a group of kids 'good job' as they were getting ready to leave. I couldn't help but to laugh and smile as I watched her go over and tell the other kids good job today and compliment them on how they did. It was just cool to see her so proud of herself, but in her strength she found the strength to go and lift up others. She's becoming a strong woman right before my eyes. #quadriplegic #tetraplegic #sci #spinalcordinjury #parenting #disability #love #mymotivation #positivevibes #hope #faith #grateful #myjourney #believe

[s-camp]

Randomly the kids saw a field full of geese while we were driving to see a friend, they thought it was so amazing to see so many... So we stopped and watched them for a bit. I'm almost always on time and pack in more to most days then I can handle, but I also make sure to 'stop and smell the roses', pull over to see the sites, and outright enjoy any small moment of beauty. The smiles and excitement were worth the stop. ❤️ #family #moments #love #grateful

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Self motivation: you really need to have a good, balanced, relationship with yourself. Being too tough on someone and you can break them down... too easy and they'll take advantage. It's not too different when it comes to pushing ourselves. You have to be able to take criticism and be accountable but at the same time, honor yourself. Are you holding yourself accountable, are you giving yourself credit? #HappyMonday #motivation #pushyourself #quadriplegic #tetraplegic #sci #spinalcordinjury #driven #positivevibes #accountability #selfworth #balance #hope #faith #grateful #myjourney #believe (at Denver, Colorado)

[s-camp]

Sometimes I do things for the workout, sometimes it's for the purpose of therapy, some days I do things just because I need to and push through... Shoveling yesterday was a combination of all of the above. The cold is hard on my body, I have to really position myself and steps to be careful on the snow, it was a heavy snow, and I was dreading how long it was going to take to chip away at the task. Luckily, a kind neighbor had helped out earlier on the sidewalk so it wasn't as deep as it could have been and I felt quite accomplished by the end of the day. I might be a little sore though lol #HappyMonday #quadriplegic #tetraplegic #sci #spinalcordinjury #motivation #colorado #functionaltraining #noexcuses #snowday #hope #faith #grateful #myjourney #believe

[s-camp]

Working on hand function. The average person usually views paralysis as someone in a wheelchair that can't walk but the question I get most from others living with a mid or high level injury is about hand function. Losing hand function is probably one of the most frustrating and tedious areas to work on. Simple tasks like opening doors, changing the tv remove, and writing/typing get taken away. Over the years I've recovered quite a bit but it's still something I work on continuously. It's nothing exciting or fun but very valuable to my daily life. I usually focus on grasp and grip strength because that allows me to do most things. This excersice to mimic a wrist roller is what I do mostly right now. It's purpose is to develop forearm and grip strength but the repetition of open and closing my hands helps with keeping flexibility and repatterning the movement, while strengthening my forearms. I still have poor dexterity, strength, and flexibility but it's usually not noticeable to people. Spasms and tone have somewhat altered the structure of my hand but like everything else, there's a slow progression through practice and dedication. #quadriplegic #tetraplegic #sci #spinalcordinjury #paralyzed #improve #everydamnday #workout #excercise #strength #OccupationalTherapy #hope #faith #grateful #myjourney #believe

[s-camp]

Wow. 4 years has gone by since my injury. It's been a journey and discovering of myself, but equally as much, discovering others. The experience has changed me without question, but at the same time, I am the same person I was before and after my injury. I simply have to do some things differently or view things differently now. My physical ability and appearance were the biggest changes and with that, the expectations and views of others about me changed. I found comfort and purpose the same as I had before trying to support others and push myself, I have always been that way. However, my value to others shifted and that was probably one of the hardest things to deal with. All the sudden I went from the strong independent person people would turn to, to viewed as someone to feel sorry for and in the need of help. For the most part, I really was in a position to need help from others. I would not be where I am today without some amazing people. However, this shift uncovered so many things. I discovered that there are some genuine loving people. Absolute strangers supported me in so many many ways for nothing at all. On the other hand, it revealed people that took advantage of me and my situation. They treated me like a whole different person once I lost my value to them. In myself, I found greater depth of patience, gratitude, and self worth. I really can't explain it but if I could go back 4 years, I can't say there is much I'd change. This experience has taught me a lot and I've given my all. I've kept a good heart and positive attitude through some tough times. These years have filtered relationships and weeded out negativity. I will forever be grateful for it all. Thank you! So much I could say but I'll save it for another time lol. #quadriplegic #anniversary #tetraplegic #sci#spinalcordinjury #grateful #myjourney #hope #faith #believe

[s-camp]

One of the best feelings... waking up on a Friday, workout done, feeling the warmth of the sun on your face, heart and mind full of dreams and ambition. #happyfriday #positivevibes (at Broomfield, Colorado)

[s-camp]

Clonus - (from the Greek for "violent, confused motion") is a series of involuntary, rhythmic, muscular contractions and relaxations. Clonus is a sign of certain neurological conditions, particularly associated with upper motor neuron lesions involving descending motor pathways, and in many cases is, accompanied by spasticity. Just about every definition of clonus talks about the involuntary movement but you can learn to work with it. I know how to trigger most of my bodies responses and how to suppress them. I normally don't go through this shaking while working on the balance board but wanted to show what clonus looks like, and turning it off and on. I regularly excersice and do activities that are the hardest for my body so I can learn to tolerate them or improve the signal. It's been fascinating to me that I can somewhat find the neuro pathways that were damaged by going through certain movements positions. Always learning 😁 #quadriplegic #tetraplegic #sci #spinalcordinjury #paralyzed #improve #everydamnday #recovery #rebuild #gymlife #balance #consistancy #dedication #clonus #physicaltherapy #neuro #neurology #hope #faith #grateful #myjourney #believe

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What a cool place to let your imagination run and enjoy some time with the family. I was watching my every step through snow and ice but it was worth it. #quadriplegic #tetraplegic #sci #spinalcordinjury #icecastles #coloradical #mountains #family #moments #blessed #hope #faith #grateful #myjourney #believe (at Ice Castles CO)

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I finally got around to getting some canvases for the kids to paint as decor for their rooms. I attempted one myself but I ended up having the kids contribute to mine so it looked better and carried more meaning. ❤️ #family #moments #quadriplegic #painting #love #decor (at Broomfield, Colorado)

[s-camp]

Breaking into the New Year with a PR on bench! Triple digits finally at 100 lbs. I get caught up comparing myself to the past when I could bench over 300 lbs but honestly, that was above average for most people my size. When I started to believe in this crazy idea that I could build strength from paralysis, I couldn't get my arms out from the sheets that covered me in bed. 2015 I was using the machine at the rec center at 20-30lbs. 2016 I got a weight set and was able to use the bar at 45lbs. 2017 I focused on a lot of reps and smoothing out the movement but was getting stuck around 65-85lbs. Looking back and knowing that I'm starting the year off at 100... I'm pretty excited. #quadriplegic #tetraplegic #sci #spinalcordinjury #paralyzed #improve #everydamnday #progression #dedication #bench #pr #fitfam #goals #gymlife #fitnessmotivation #strengthtraining #NewYear #nevergiveup #hope #faith #grateful #myjourney #believe (at Broomfield, Colorado)

[s-camp]

Hope everyone enjoyed their holidays. Personally, I'm pretty excited for a new year. I spent a lot of 2017 going through some pretty rough times but it was easily outweighed by the love and support of family and friends. I found cause to celebrate the growth of my kids and my first complete year of independent living. Might not sound like much but it's a huge accomplishment for someone with a spinal cord injury. I have to admit, finding happiness in the toughest times is something I've become quite good at. My attitude, faith, and outlook has served me well and gotten me through things that I never imagined. Even as good as 2017 has been, I know there's so much more improve and enjoy in 2018. #grateful #myjourney #hope #faith #nevergiveup #believe

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#HappyHolidays From our family and friends to yours. ❤️