[June 03, 2011] Belle on wheels Tweet May 31, 2011 (The Decatur Daily - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- A blonde girl pointed: "She's a queen," the girl whispered to her mother. "Yes, she is a queen, isn't she," the mother said. Donning a tiara and a sash -- necessary adornments for any legitimate queen -- Shannon Roberts waved as the little girl walked away, peeking over her shoulder for one last look. Yes, the 25-year-old Madison resident is a pageant winner, an Athens State University student, a sister, daughter, girlfriend and paralyzed. "I wanted to do the pageant and prove that anyone can do and should be able to do them," Roberts said. "You don't have to be 95 pounds and look good in a swimsuit or even walk. I want to be able to open doors for others." She hopes the title of Ms. Wheelchair Alabama will help accomplish the goal. The April competition held in Birmingham was small -- two contestants -- but Roberts' dreams are big. She dreams of breaking barriers, changing social misconceptions of those with disabilities and raising awareness. "I can't believe how far she has come. Even seeing her doing this is unbelievable and amazing," said Roberts' mother Marion Huntoon. "Ten years ago, the doctors told me she had six hours to live. I had six hours to spend with my daughter." It was April 2001, a school-day morning, when Roberts' life changed. The then-sophomore at Sparkman High School and her older brother, Tony, were heading to school, only a month left before summer vacation. A car pulled out in front of the T-top carrying the brother and sister. On the two-lane road, Tony attempted to pass the car. "There was a truck coming in the other direction. The car beside us slowed down and we tried to get back in our lane but clipped the bumper of the car and we started going end over end," Roberts said. One, two, three, four, five, six times the car flipped, landing in the yard of a nurse. Roberts was tossed out of the roof of the T-top. Tony landed 40 yards away, tangled in a barbed wire fence. "When I got the call about the wreck, it was total devastation. There are no words," Huntoon said. "We got to Huntsville Hospital and the doctors told us Shannon and Tony had six hours to live. They only gave them six hours." When they passed the six hour mark, doctors gave them 12 hours and then 24 hours. Seventy-two hours passed before the doctors told Huntoon her children would survive. From the accident, Tony suffered a brain injury but his body worked. Roberts' mind worked, but her body did not. The accident severed her spinal cord. "They didn't think I would make it. And after I did make it, they told my family I would never move anything below my neck," said Roberts, whose first memory after the wreck was of a nurse bathing her and her ventilator coming undone. "Well, here I am. I can drive, I can write, I am working on my degree. I proved them wrong. I learned not to give up. If you tell me I can't, it gives me more reason to prove you wrong. Can't never could." And Roberts had plenty of opportunities to say, "I can't." Three weeks after the accident, the doctor told her she would never walk again. In the hospital, she contracted pneumonia and a staph infection. She could move only her fingers. She could not feed herself. She did not talk for nine weeks. She underwent six surgeries in less than three years. "For weeks and months and even years, we were living day by day, visit by visit," Huntoon said. "One visit would be fantastic, like when she could shrug her shoulders. The next visit, she would have taken a turn for the worse and spiked a 106 temperature and she would want to die." But she never gave up. She learned to write, feed herself, drive and wash her hair -- that took her eight years to accomplish. And earlier this month at the Limestone County Rodeo, Roberts rode a horse for the first time since the accident. She credits her mother as her inspiration and strength. "My mom has never given up on me, so I couldn't give up on myself. Even when I was living like I was in the 'Addams Family,' with everything very dark and cold, she was there. Every night, every day, she was there," Roberts said. "No, I did not do anything special. I'm a mom, and moms do what moms have to do," Huntoon said. "Shannon is the one who is an inspiration. She is my hero. She is sweet, kind, funny and outspoken. She gives everything she has and more. She is just amazing." In 2003, Roberts graduated -- on time -- from high school. She learned to drive in 2005, earned her associate's degree in pre-law from Calhoun Community College in December 2007, moved into her own place in 2009 and plans on graduating next May with a degree in psychology from Athens State. "I learned to do with what I got, and I want to help others learn that also. I want to become a trauma counselor," Roberts said. "People asked me how I have done this. Well, I just did it because I had to. What were my options?" In August, Roberts will compete in the Ms. Wheelchair America pageant in Grand Rapids, Mich., with 28 other women. Building a movement "I don't plan to stop after a year. If I can break social misconceptions in Alabama this year then those people can take the message to others," Roberts said. "One person can tell another then they can tell others, and it can become kind of like a movement. In order for change, it needs to be a worldwide movement." Raffle Paying for the pageant and travel expenses rests with Roberts, who is holding a raffle at the end of July to raise funds. Raffle tickets cost $3. Prizes include a GPS, digital camera and DVD player. To purchase raffle tickets, contact Roberts at Athens State at 256-233-8145. "I know I'm a little biased, but Shannon would be a great spokesperson. We call her 'Chatty Cathy.' She will talk to anyone about anything," Huntoon said. "And she has got such willpower and will not let anything stop her. She wants to make a change." The change does not extend only to individuals in wheelchairs. After attending the rodeo, Roberts dreams of improving the lives of anyone with a disability. "There needs to be a pageant for any little girl who has a disability. Ms. Wheelchair Alabama is only for people in wheelchairs. But what about little girls who have disabilities but are not confined to wheelchairs? Everyone should have a chance to participate." To see more of The Decatur Daily, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.decaturdaily.com Copyright (c) 2011, The Decatur Daily, Ala. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]