Nicole Marquez
Nicole Marquez, a dancer from Mississippi, was at the top of her game when a devastating accident changed her life path. Living in New York, Nicole had aspirations of performing on Broadway. After a "very promising" audition, the 25-year-old returned home to find she did not have her apartment keys with her. She went to the roof, thinking she could climb down the fire escape to her open bedroom window. What happened next is a mystery. Nicole was found, eight hours later, laying on the ground behind her building. She had fallen six stories and had a broken neck, back, pelvis, ribs and she had a punctured lung.
Told she would be a quadriplegic for life, Nicole had other plans. "I was told that I'd be in a wheelchair for the rest of my life. I said 'I don't think so!' and I poured myself into physical and occupational therapy." Now 28, the lively young lady has gone from walking with a walker, to a cane, now taking big strides and working out five days a week with a personal trainer, along with physical and occupational therapy three times a week. "I expect to get back to dancing. I have a lot of hope... If I sat here and told you everything has been peaches and cream, I'd be lying to you... I don't know what my purpose is. But I'm eternally grateful for what I've got. I couldn't be happier."
Nicole has already put together two fundraiser benefits to support the arts in schools, where she served as the producer, choreographer, and even danced. "It's my way of saying thank you to the community. My early education included a strong dose of the arts, and I'm convinced that's gotten me to where I am today. A lot of people came out of nowhere to my aid. Because I can't thank each and every person individually, and a lot of them I don't know, it's a way to thank them and the community as a whole."
Nicole's message is one of hope and persevarance. "Everyone has bumps in the road of life. I've learned they can stop you in your tracks, or you can figure out a way around them and get on with it!"