Talking to him, you couldn’t tell he’s any different than any other student here at Cathedral. He hangs out with friends, talks sports, and jokes around. However, Ronan Nelson has been through a lot this past year.

“I was injured in a Rugby game on April 7th, 2012. I was making a tackle, and there were two guys who landed on top of me. I had a spinal cord injury right at the base of my neck near the top of my shoulders, and at that point I lost all mobility in my body because of spinal shock,” said Ronan.

This past year has been a year of progress and hope for Ronan and those around him. At one point, completely paralyzed, he’s turned it all around, returning to school for the entirety of his junior year, even attending his junior prom.

“This year has actually been going really well. I was kind of scared about coming back because I didn’t know what I would be able to do, not being able to use my fingers, but the iPads have helped me out a lot,” said Ronan.

Through the support of those around him, Ronan continues to progress everyday. “Right now, I am working to regain the rest of my upper body (strength), and during the summer, I’m starting up again at Project Walk in Carlsbad to focus more on regaining the mobility in my legs,” he said.

With self-expressed “drive and determination,” he continues to set many goals and steadily work toward achieving them. “My goal is to restore my upper body movements, so maybe I’ll be able to drive, hopefully by the end of the summer,” Ronan said.

But all his progress was not without ups and downs; through it all, he has gained the rallying support of friends, family, and the Cathedral Catholic community. Ronan can feel the support. “Beyond the bounds of where you can explain, I honestly can’t thank everyone enough to cover all of those who have helped me out and been so amazing to me,” said Ronan.

However, his journey is not over yet, and every day he remains determined, “never losing sight of his goals, or hope (his).”

“What inspires me the most is seeing other people in therapy at Project Walk in Carlsbad and witnessing the progress they’ve made. I try to self-relate it and show myself that I’m going to be able to get better in the future, and that with therapy and the help of others, I will continue to get better and restore more mobility and function back to my body,” said Ronan.

Even though the wheelchair physically limits him, to his friends and family, Ronan hasn’t changed a bit. “Ronan really hasn’t changed at all. Physically he has gone through a lot, but he’s still the same person. He’s still very funny and clever, and he’ll call you out on everything. He really is the same person,” said Junior Hannah Gausepohl, a close friend and supporter of Ronan.

Ronan’s sister, Cathedral freshman Niamh, agrees. “I feel like this past year we’ve just gotten a lot closer because of what’s happened. I’m really proud to have him as a brother,” she said.

Niamh offered some perspective on how students should treat Ronan. “Just treat him the same way you would treat anyone else that is walking. He gets a lot of people who think he’s different now because he’s in a wheel chair but he’s not. He’s still the same Ronan that we’ve always known,” said Niamh.

Ronan continues to move forward and set goals, all with the hope of achieving his dream to walk again. “Ronan defines perseverance, in my mind. He helps me push through my struggles just by being who he is, and he gives everyone around him hope,” said Hannah.

“I just want people to know, I’m not out of the fight yet. I am not going to be stuck in this chair forever. It’s not going to hamper who I am and who I want to be,” said Ronan. “I’m only in this chair, not owned by it.”