Paralysis is a part of her life, not all of it
Staff Writer
PROVIDED BY MIDDLESEX COUNTY COLLEGE Brooke Ellison, with her mother, Jean, by her side, speaks to an audience at Middlesex County College in Edison. EDISON - Sept. 4, 1990, was a spectacular, sunny day, with the crispness of fall in the air.
Brooke Ellison will never forget it. It was the day her life changed forever.
Eleven-year-old Brooke was walking home from the first day of school when the car hit her.
The accident left her with a skull fracture, a broken left leg, dislocated right knee, broken arm and separated shoulder. She had bitten off the front part of her tongue.
It also left the girl who loved baseball, dancing and music, paralyzed from the neck down. She would be on a respirator for the rest of her life.
"All the things I did and loved, in my mind, shaped me as a person and established my identity," said Ellison in her 2002 book "Miracles Happen," which was reprinted as "The Brooke Ellison Story" in 2004.
"I was a dancer, I was a singer, I was a cellist," she said. "Then in one instant my life changed completely."
Ellison has been a public speaker for more than a decade. She has carried the message that there is always hope, no matter what happens.
"Each day I have considerable challenges, but who doesn't?" she said. "I'm so committed to making the most out of every day."
And she has never let her physical disability define her life. Her paralysis is only part of her life, not all of it.
"We all experience paralysis, whether it be of the spirit, mind or heart," she said. "With hope, we can accomplish our goals that we set in our lives."
This year, Ellison is running as a Democrat for the New York State Senate from Suffolk County.
"My life has been characterized by challenge and adversity, which has changed over to passion and determination," she said. "New York has been facing its own challenges, and I want to instill my passion and determination to help overcome the challenges."
She credits the efforts of her family and friends for helping her move on with life.
"I could never return to the girl I was," Ellison said in her book. "I was so sure that junior high school was going to change me, I just didn't realize it would happen so fast."
One year after the accident, Brooke went back to junior high school.
She didn't stop there. She graduated third in her high school class in 1996. She went on to Harvard University.
Ellison received a bachelor's degree in neuroscience and graduated magna cum laude. She delivered the commencement address in 2000.
She has since earned a master's degree in public policy from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and has completed one year as a doctoral student at Stony Brook University.
Her mother, Jean, has been with her daughter every step of the way throughout her college career.
"I wouldn't have made it through if it weren't for the rest of my family, especially my husband," said Jean. "I don't know what husband would let their wife go off to college with their daughter for six years."
Ellison's determination shows with all the accomplishments she has made.
"She is the most determined person I know, and I'm not saying that because I am her mother," said Jean. "I have trouble keeping up; she's full of life, and it shows."
Their book was the subject of an A&E movie, "The Brooke Ellison Story," which was directed by the late Christopher Reeve.
Reeves had a big impact on Ellison's life.
"He was an incredible man, and his passing was so devastating, and Dana [Reeve's late wife] as well," said Ellison. "Their work is living on every day; you couldn't ask for more."
Brooke's unfortunate accident brought the family closer together, her mother said.
"Something like this showed us the fragility of life and how important every day is," Brooke said.
Life became clear for Ellison after she made her Harvard commencement speech.
"We are not random dots of dust floating aimlessly without any greater purpose," she said. "Our purpose here is to be miracles for each other."
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