make a living doing what he loved most , but it took some challenging times to bring his love for painting back to the forefront . Steve was in his early 30s when he had a motorcycle accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down . During rehabilitation he had to learn to do so many things differently — from how to dress himself , to transferring from wheelchair to a car , recliner , toilet , and bed . “ I had to learn how to get around in a wheelchair and how to get back in when I fell out , finessing the wheely to hop up curbs , etc . I learned how to drive [ a vehicle ] with hand controls and became independent again .”
During in-patient rehab his wife brought in one of his paintings to make his room feel homier . “ The response from staff , friends , and family that visited encouraged me to pick it back up . When I was discharged my physical therapist asked me to do some pieces for the Christmas Bazaar that the hospital held every year .” It took a while to get the house remodeled to facilitate Steve ’ s
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