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LET’S GO. ALL RIGHT. HOMEWOOD, WE’RE COMING FOR YOU. HERE IN HOMEWOOD, I INTRODUCE YOU TO A MAN WHO WAS SHOT, PARALYZED, AND WRITTEN OFF UNTIL HE REWROTE THE STORY. SOMETIMES THE ONLY THING BETWEEN BROKEN AND BECOMING IS TWO LETTERS. THAT’S HOW THE NAME ISABEL WAS BORN. IT WILL TAKE THE DEEDS OUT OF DISABLED. WE’RE GOING TO NAME OUR ORGANIZATION ISABEL. NOT IN A CLASSROOM, NOT IN A BOARDROOM, BUT BESIDE A SWIMMING POOL WHERE TWO QUADRIPLEGIC MEN, PARALYZED IN BOTH BODY AND SPIRIT. WE WERE SO DEPRESSED. WE’RE READY TO END IT ALL. WE SAID WE WAS GOING TO BLOW OUR BRAINS OUT, BUT NEITHER ONE OF US COULD PICK UP THE GUN OR PULL THE TRIGGER. WE SAID WE WAS GOING TO CUT OUR WRISTS. WE COULDN’T PICK UP THE RAZOR BLADE. WE CAN ROLL OUR WHEELCHAIRS INTO THE DEEP END OF THE SWIMMING POOL AND DROWN OURSELVES HALFWAY THERE, SOMETHING SPARKED. THEY TURNED FROM THE EDGE AND KEPT ROLLING. HERE’S THE POWERFUL THING. WE HAD TO PASS BY THAT SWIMMING POOL THAT WE WAS JUST MINUTES AWAY FROM DROWNING OURSELVES IN TO GET TO THE LIBRARY FOR MILES. NO PLAN. JUST CONVICTION. A CHOICE NOT TO DIE, BUT TO BE HEARD. THEIR GOD WHISPERED, THEIR NEWFOUND NONPROFIT’S NAME. HOW ARE WE GOING TO SPELL IT? EVERYBODY GOING TO THINK IT’S ISABEL? I SAID, WE’RE GOING TO SPELL IT CAPITAL. I DASH CAPITAL A. B L E, HE SAID, WHOA! BUT THE ROAD TO THAT MOMENT WAS PAVED IN PAIN. AT 17, LORENZO BROWN WAS CAUGHT IN THE CHAOS OF THE STREETS. ONE MOMENT OF CONFLICT OVER A HAT. AN HOUR AND A HALF LATER, A DRIVE BY SHOOTING. HE SAID, YOU’RE PARALYZED. PARALYZED? FOR HOW LONG? I ASKED, AND HE REPLIED AND SAID THESE EXACT WORDS. HE SAID, I’M AFRAID YOU’RE GOING TO BE PARALYZED FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. YOU WILL NEVER HAVE ANY QUALITY OF LIFE EVER AGAIN. THE DOCTOR’S WORDS DIDN’T STOP THERE. HE TOLD HIS PARENTS TO PULL THE PLUG ON HIS LIFE, BUT HIS MOM, DESPITE BATTLING ADDICTION, REFUSED. WHAT THE WORLD CALLED A LIFE SENTENCE. LORENZO TURNED INTO A CALLING. YEARS IN NURSING HOMES HOPELESS. IT WAS LIKE MY LIFE WAS JUST WASTING AWAY. ALL I COULD DO WAS JUST CRY UNTIL A QUESTION FROM A NURSING INSTRUCTOR, SHE ASKED, WELL, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO? I SAID, WHAT DO YOU MEAN? SHE SAID, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT GETTING OUT OF HERE? THAT THOUGHT HAD NEVER CROSSED MY MIND. I THOUGHT THAT I WAS GOING TO DIE IN THAT NURSING HOME. THAT VERY QUESTION CHANGED EVERYTHING. LORENZO BUILT WHAT DIDN’T EXIST, A SPACE FOR PEOPLE LIKE HIM WHERE LIMITATIONS DON’T DEFINE WORTH. ADAPTIVE TECH, JOB TRAINING, SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT, EMPOWERMENT. DID YOU THINK THIS DAY WOULD COME? HOW LONG? HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WAITING FOR AN OPPORTUNITY? ALMOST THREE YEARS. BUT I HAD A GOOD SUPPORT TEAM, WHICH WAS IS EVA CENTRE AND I FINALLY RECEIVED THE JOB. AND LORENZO, NOT JUST BUILDING PROGRAMS, HE’S MENTORING YOUNG MEN WALKING THE ROAD HE ONCE DID. I’M TALKING ABOUT GANG ACTIVITY. I’M TALKING ABOUT SELLING DRUGS. I’M REALLY TRYING TO RELATE TO THEM. YOU KNOW THAT THERE ARE CHOICES AND THERE ARE CONSEQUENCES THAT COME FROM FROM A LIFE LABELED DISABLED TO A MOVEMENT CALLED ISABEL ON THE ROAD IN HOMEWOOD BRITTANY DECKER, �������� 13. WELL, EVERY COMMUNITY HAS A STORY AND WE WANT TO HEAR YOURS. IF YOU HAVE ONE TO SHARE, HEAD TO �������� 13.COM/13 O