Joe Stone grew up playing volleyball, skateboarding, and breakdancing. Then, in 2012, a car crash left him paralyzed.
Doctors told him he would likely never move anything below his chest again. But five weeks after leaving the hospital, Joe found wheelchair rugby. This violent, fast, full-contact sport helped him rebuild strength, process anger, and feel alive in a changed body.
In this conversation recorded at a live tournament in New Haven, Joe talks about the crash, falling in love after paralysis, being a father, faith, adaptive sports, and what people misunderstand when they assume athletes with disabilities are fragile.
Suggested episodes:
- Multiple sclerosis tried to bench her. Karen Smith won gold instead
- Stunt performers David Holmes and Jonathan Goodwin on life after paralysis
- A marathon swimmer and ultrarunner: surviving cancer, breaking records
- New ways to see, new ways to move: The tech that’s changing disability
GUEST:
- Joe Stone: Wheelchair rugby player and adaptive athlete who became paralyzed after a 2012 car crash fractured his C6 and C7 vertebrae. He plays with the Gaylord Warriors
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