Wings for Life PAYING IT FORWARD

After surviving a spinal cord injury in 2017, Justin Lennon discovered a path to help future patients like him.

- CAT AUER

Six years ago this June, Justin Lennon broke his neck. It was summer in Columbus, and the then-20-year-old Ohio State University undergrad took what he calls a dumb flip” on a backyard trampoline. He landed badly on his C5 and C6 vertebrae and sustained a life-changing spinal cord injury that led to quadriplegia.

Adjusting to his new normal—no movement or feeling from his upper chest downward—was a challenge that took time, effort and determination. I had to put my life on hold while I healed,” he says. He dropped his classes and moved back home to Cincinnati, traveling to Columbus twice a week for rehab, where he relearned old skills and learned new ones, including how to take advantage of accessible housing and paratransit services so that he could get his education back on track.