At the age of 17, Carlana Stone was confronted with a cruel choice. A car crash had cost her the use of both legs and the teenage athlete from Shreveport, La. had to decide whether to accept life forever confined to a wheelchair or find some ways to become mobile again.

 

“As a paraplegic, I found that my arms were good even though my legs were not,’ she told an audience during a joint May dinner meeting with members of the Aero Club (SCAA) and the local chapter of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). That accident, in which Stone had been a passenger, “changed my life forever,” she said.

 

Stone determined to get free of the wheelchair at every opportunity. Among other unlikely accomplishments, she learned to fly using a Piper Cherokee equipped with hand controls to operate the rudder and brake pedals. With fierce determination and the help of friends, she took up skydiving and also became a certified scuba diver.

 

Today, living in Glendale, Calif. with her engineer husband John Lawson, Stone happily navigates the freeways aboard her three-wheeled Harley Davidson motorcycle, her collapsible wheelchair mounted just behind her saddle on a rack designed by her husband. “I’ve achieved things that I had never believed possible,” the attractive, brown-haired Stone said.

 

Stone is the author of a book, “Never Give In, Never Give Up,” describing her experiences and has appeared on national TV programs to tell her story.
Book Link on Amazon

She is the founder of a group called The Courage Community to provide inspiration for others dealing with serious problems. Her group’s website can be seen at www.couragecommunity.org.