Inspiring Athlete - Paralympic Alpine Skier Alana Nichols and a $25 Visa #giveaway

Paralysis is the number one cause I support. It hits very close to home for me. On May 15, 1993 I was told I may never walk again after doing a front flip in a shallow area, resulting in a bruised spinal cord. I had a Spinal Cord Injury and went through months of physical training, learning how to walk again among many other things one takes for granted. Spinal Cord Injury's are the cause of permanent disability and death in children and adults. I shocked all with a full recovery and my medical file is used by Doctors throughout the nation for non-surgical spinal cord recovery. There isn't a day that goes by in my life that I don't think about my team of experts who healed me.

This brings me to an absolutely inspiring athlete, Paralympic Alpine Skier Alana Nichols. Alana is working with Citi and the Every Step program to hep the Physically Disabled. Alana was paralyzed while snowboarding in 2000 but didn't let the injury didn't stop her. "It wasn't about being paralyzed, but rather what I was doing with it". Determined to get her competitive spirit back, Alana started playing wheelchair basketball in college. In the 2008 Beijing Winter Olympics, Alana and Team USA took home the gold medal. She didn't stop there - Alana faced the slopes again and became a mono-skier in college.

Alana Nichols brought home another gold medal for USA in Vancouver at the 2010 Winter Olympics. This made her the first American Women to bring home a gold medal in both the Winter and Summer Olympics. Paralympic Sport has given Alana's life a meaning despite every hurdle she faced. This is why Alana Nichols teamed up with Citi to support the Team USA Paralympic Champions Fund. This program provides funding for U.S. Paralympic Skiers.


Help Support Alana and 8 other athletes by visiting the Every Step website. With just one click, you can help decide which program will receive part of a $500,000 donation from Citi!

If you are wondering what does Citi and the Olympics have in common...the answer is a lot. They are a Team USA sponsor and have committed $1 million dollars to the U.S. Olympic Committee to help support the nations athletes through the Citi Every Step of the Way Program. The initiative helps future athletes reach their full potential through U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Games. Follow Citi Every Step of the Way Program online here http://citi.us/1ek5E7S and onTwitter and Facebook for exclusive updates!

Now for the Giveaway!

Leave a comment on my blog, letting me know which of the 9 Citi athlete/community programs inspire you the most and visit the Every Step website to vote. I will select one winner at random through the rafflecopter widget below. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This post was created in partnership with Citi®. All thoughts and opinions are my own.