Shaping a Life on Your Own Terms

After sustaining a Spinal Cord Injury (SCI), it can be challenging to reorient and figure out what dreams are still within reach. Life after an injury will inevitably look different from life before it. That does not mean the road ahead is full of dead ends—it simply means that the ways people pursue their ambitions may shift. Rebuilding a sense of identity is often part of that process, especially when facing new barriers and realities.

Jen Goodwin’s story reflects this kind of recalibration. She sustained her SCI in early adulthood, which meant renegotiating her identity after already feeling settled in the life she had built. At first, much of her energy went toward learning how to walk again. Over time, she began to question whether centering everything around that outcome was allowing space for the rest of her life to unfold. Focusing on one outcome can sometimes narrow what we notice along the way. When Jen began widening that lens, she found room again for the many experiences that make up a full life. Walking was not a prerequisite for participating in the world around her.

Eventually, Jen set her sights on attending law school and passing the BAR exam. Becoming a lawyer is demanding for anyone, and she approached the process with that understanding. Her LSAT score earned her a full ride to law school, and she began the work. Like many students with disabilities, she encountered barriers on campus that others did not have to think about. At the time, there were no accessible bathrooms available to her. The school arranged for her to use an office restroom, but the arrangement underscored how isolating and inaccessible these temporary fixes can be. By the time she graduated, accessible bathrooms had been installed—an important change that reflected Jen's advocacy.

While moving through law school, Jen continued shaping the life she wanted alongside her studies. One year into the program, she decided she wanted to become a mother. After learning she could carry a pregnancy to term, she chose to work with an anonymous donor. During those years she was not only navigating coursework and exams but also pregnancy and early parenthood. Like many people balancing school and family, she found ways to structure her days so that both could coexist.

Jen’s story stands out not because it was simple, but because it reflects the ongoing process of adjusting expectations, advocating for access, and making choices that align with personal priorities. She worked toward a law degree, spoke up about accessibility on campus, had one child through an anonymous donor and later adopted a second, and built a family life alongside her career. Had everything in her life been organized around a single outcome—walking again—many of those experiences might have remained on hold indefinitely. Instead, she allowed space for multiple paths to develop at once.

Today, Jen has two children and travels frequently with them. She chose to work part-time so she could spend more time with her sons. Her spinal cord injury is part of her life, but it is only one part of who she is. She is also a lawyer, a parent, and someone who continues to shape her life according to her own priorities. Her path illustrates that there is no single blueprint for how a life should unfold.

There is also no single formula for setting and reaching personal milestones. What matters is understanding what steps are required and adjusting along the way. Breaking larger ambitions into smaller pieces can make the process more manageable. For Jen, becoming a lawyer began with preparing for the LSAT, then applying to law school, and later navigating the many expectations that come with legal training. Each stage brought new benchmarks and decisions.

A spinal cord injury can change the landscape of someone’s life, but it does not erase the possibility of building a meaningful future. What that future looks like will vary from person to person. The important thing is having the space, support, and access needed to pursue the things that matter most.

Written by Makenzie Shimming