I grew up on a grain and hog farm in west central Manitoba. I farmed with my father and brother at the time of the accident. We have since "retired" from all farming activities.

Prior to my farming endeavor, I attended university for 3.5 years studying economics and accounting.  I'm currently short a few elective courses to graduate with a degree. Though I have thought many times about completing it, the difficulty involved with moving to the city, fighting the snow and frigid weather in the winter school sessions, and fighting the (time to time) bodily function problems, I am determined to wait until I can do it by distance education in my rural home. People say the digital revolution is happening fast but to me it's not happening fast enough!  I will say, "computers and the internet have been my psychological salvation since my accident."

Prior to the accident I spent a couple of summers working for the City of Winnipeg Waterworks Department and the last winter (before my accident) working on the oil rigs out of Red Deer, Alberta. 

Following my 6 month stretch of rehabilitation in hospital, I returned home to where I was living and farming with my parents. This fall (2005) will be the 14th year anniversary since my accident. 

Over the last 14 years I've grown in a number of ways. A little physically and allot mentally. I got into computers and onto the internet soon after the accident and have been learning daily ever since. I've always been an inventive and "hands on" type of guy so although I can no long build things physically with my hands I've found other ways to be creative.  I enjoy trying and learning to use new software to build on my repertoire of mastered computer skills.

I spend allot of my time getting a working knowledge of many things over the internet. And in everyday life, I try to apply what I've learned to how I invest for the future.  I enjoy dealing with the stock market in some way, shape or form, almost daily but I do NOT do it to the degree of a day trader. I consider myself a very conservative investor.  I like Warren Buffet's philosophies on investing.  Put the focus on companies making a good net profit, keeping their debt low and growing for the future.  Screening the thousands of publicly traded companies out there for a list of prospective investment opportunities takes time and patience. With advancements in on-line screening capabilities getting better all the time, things are continually getting easier. One web site I do find very useful is http://www.hoovers.com/ but do use due diligence when evaluating any potential investment. 

Anyways, I also (summer of 2000) "achieved" getting my drivers license back after coping for 9 years without one. With the aid of a wheelchair accessible lowered floor minivan and a couple of handle controls, I can now drive from my wheelchair. I was surprised how much independence it gave back to me. Though I don't go very far alone in winter, the freedom it affords one is hard to put into words. 

My father and I were invited to join the local lions club a few years ago. We're both now active in that organization and have become friends with many Lion club members. Though I'm limited to what I can offer our club in physical labour, I do my best in paper work related contributions. Being a Lion also inadvertently helped educate many members of the community on some of the aspects involved with living dependant on a wheelchair and to feel more comfortable around persons in wheelchairs. Sitting at home behind closed doors and out of the publics eye can't be good for anyone all the time!

We (my parents and I) like to travel but we often find the accommodations available are not well suited to anyone in a wheelchair.  We "adjust" to what is available but it's often frustrating at times.  I find myself periodically searching the web to find places where we (my parents and I) can visit with little accessibility problems. They seem to be few and far between.

Changing the subject. If you are interested in watching a great movie, I highly recommend the movie entitled "The Power of One." I've seen it several times over the years and I must say, I think everyone on planet earth should see it at least once. It is one powerfully motivating movie!  I would even say this movie changed my life forever. 

Well that's about it on me for now. I deviated away from strictly talking about me, now and again, but I hope it was somewhat interesting to read. If you have some ideas or opinions that you would like to share, I would enjoy hearing from you.  My email address is randyco@zoomnow.ca.