In August 2014, Elizabeth sustained a high-level cervical spinal cord injury from a pool diving accident leaving her permanently a quadriplegic, paralyzed from the shoulders down. She rehabilitated at Craig Hospital and continues to call Colorado home where she remains closely connected to the spinal cord community. Based on her knowledge of healthcare and living the experience of paralysis, Elizabeth is dedicated to helping others live a more independent and fulfilled lifestyle prompting her to found the Colorado Paralysis Foundation
Elizabeth currently writes for the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, promoting advocacy and delving into quality-of-life matters following paralysis. She is a recognized trained peer mentor for the SCI community locally and nationally, guiding the newly injured and has appeared on stage and in classrooms as a public speaker telling her story in the hopes to empower others when faced with great adversity.
Prior to her injury, she obtained her 200-hour yoga teacher training in Bali, Indonesia, has traveled all over the world and was an avid triathlete, even having completed the Escape from Alcatraz in San Francisco. She continues to travel, not allowing paralysis to hinder her passion for wanderlust, and is an adaptive scuba diver, completing nearly 30 ocean dives since injury in Mexico and the Caribbean. When not traveling or working, you can find Elizabeth sitting front row at Red Rocks Amphitheater rocking out to live music or exploring new trails with her service dog Shadow.