List of people with quadriplegia explained

Tetraplegia, also known as quadriplegia, is paralysis caused by illness or injury that results in the partial or total loss of use of all four limbs and torso; paraplegia is similar but does not affect the arms. The loss is usually sensory and motor, which means that both sensation and control are lost. The paralysis may be flaccid or spastic.

Notable people with tetraplegia

• Anne-Marie Alonzo (1951–2005) – Canadian writer and publisher; in 1966 she was the victim of a car accident which left her quadriplegic and using a wheelchair.^[1]
• Max Brito (1971–2022) – Ivoirian international rugby union player; paralyzed in a match against Tonga in the 1995 Rugby World Cup.^[2]
• John Callahan (1951–2010) – Cartoonist, became a quadriplegic in an auto accident at age 21^[3]
• Walter Harris Callow (1896–1958) – inventor of the wheelchair accessible bus.^[4]
• Roy Campanella (1921–1993) – American baseball player. Paralyzed in a 1958 auto accident.^[5]
• John Carter (1815–1850) – English artist^[6]
• Vic Chesnutt (1964–2009) – Singer/songwriter^[7]
• Chuck Close (1940–2021) – American painter^[8]
• Darren Drozdov (1969–2023) – Professional wrestler, injured in a match with D'Lo Brown.^[9]
• Brooke Ellison (1978–2024) – First quadriplegic to graduate from Harvard University. Paralyzed when struck by a car in 1990.^[10]
• Jeff Erlanger (1970–2007) – Activist, appeared on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.^[11]
• Steven Fletcher (born 1972) – Canadian Member of Parliament, paralyzed in an auto accident.^[12]
• John Paul Getty III (1956–2011) – Son of J. Paul Getty, left disabled after suffering a stroke.^[13]
• Matt Hampson (born 1984) – England rugby player, paralysed in a scrummaging accident.^[14]
• Stephen Hawking (1942–2018) – Physicist, paralyzed due to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.^[15]
• Kent Hehr (born 1969) – Canadian politician, Member of Parliament from 2015–present. Paralyzed in shooting accident at age 22.^[16]
• Jim Langevin (born 1964) – American politician, member of the US House of Representatives and first member of US Congress to serve with quadriplegia.
• Jill Kinmont (1936–2012) – U.S. skier, paralyzed in a skiing accident in 1955, subject of the movie The Other Side of the Mountain^[17]
• Samuel Koch (born 1987) – German actor and former stuntman who became paralysed in an accident while filming Wetten, dass..? in 2010^[18]
• Oksana Kononets (born 1992) – Ukrainian model^[19]
• Eric LeGrand (born 1990) – College football player. Paralyzed in a 2010 football game, but has since regained movement to his shoulders and feeling to most of his body.
• Jocelyn Lovell (born 1950) – Canadian cyclist hit by a truck while on a training ride.^[20]
• Tom Luckey (1940–2012) – American architect and sculptor best known for creating abstract playgrounds known as Luckey Climbers. Paralyzed due to a fall in 2005.^[21]
• Curtis Mayfield (1942–1999) – Soul singer/songwriter, paralyzed in a stage accident in 1990.^[22]
• Guy McElroy (1948–1990) – American art historian and curator^[23]
• Elena Mukhina (1960–2006) – Soviet gymnast and 1978 World AA Champion, paralyzed as a result of an under-rotation in a practice routine.^[24]
• Anam Najam – Pakistani quadriplegic psychiatrist.^[25]
• Craig H. Neilsen (1941–2006) – American gaming executive who founded Ameristar Casinos, Inc., and formed the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation to fund scientific research and quality-of-life programs for people living with spinal cord injuries.^[26]
• Dinesh Palipana (born 1984) – Australian doctor, the first quadriplegic intern in Queensland, the second quadriplegic medical graduate in Australia. A spinal cord injury was caused as a result of a car accident.^[27]
• Teddy Pendergrass (1950–2010) – soul singer, paralyzed in an auto accident in 1982.^[28]
• Edward Rainey (born 1961) – Scottish painter^[29]
• Christopher Reeve (1952–2004) – Actor, injured in a 1995 eventing accident.^[30]
• Ed Roberts (1939–1995) – Disability rights activist, first quadriplegic to attend the University of California, Berkeley.^[31]
• George Robinson (born 1997) – Actor, injured in a 2015 rugby match.
• Patrick Rummerfield (born 1953) – first fully recovered quadriplegic, athlete, motivational speaker^[32]
• Ramón Sampedro (1943–1998) – Spanish fisherman, whose struggle for the right to die was dramatized in the film Mar Adentro.^[33]
• Sam Schmidt (born 1964) – IndyCar racing driver, paralysed in 2000 testing crash.^[34]
• Ken Slater (1924–1963) – Australian rules footballer and tennis player, paralyzed in car accident.^[35]
• Mary Lou Spiess (1931–1992) – American designer of disabled fashion, paralyzed as a result of polio.^[36]
• Darryl Stingley (1951–2007) – American football player, paralyzed in a 1978 exhibition game.^[37]
• Sam Sullivan (born 1959) – Canadian politician, mayor of Vancouver from 2005 to 2008. Paralyzed in a skiing accident at age 19.^[38]
• Joni Eareckson Tada (born 1949) – Christian author and motivational speaker, paralyzed in a 1967 diving accident.^[39]
• James Troesh, aka Jim Troesh (1956–2011) – actor, screenwriter and entertainment industry disability advocate. Paralyzed, aged 14, following a home accident, he was the first quadriplegic actor to join the Screen Actors Guild.
• Barbara Turnbull (1965–2015) – Canadian newspaper journalist, and motivational writer, paralyzed in a 1993 robbery.
• Mike Utley (born 1965) – Former Detroit Lions lineman, injured on a Barry Sanders touchdown run in 1991.^[40]
• Johnnie Wilder Jr. (1949–2006) – Co-founder and lead vocalist of the international R&B/funk group Heatwave.^[41]
• Frank Williams (1942–2021) – Co-founder of Williams Racing in Formula One. Injured in a 1986 car accident.
• Sheikh Ahmed Yassin (1937–2004) – Former leader of Hamas^[42]
• Mark Zupan (born 1975) – American wheelchair rugby player, featured in the film Murderball. Paralyzed in a 1993 auto accident.^[43]
• RockyNoHands (born 1987) – Online alias of Rocky Stoutenburgh, American gaming streamer. First quadriplegic to be signed to an esports organization.^[44]

See also

• List of people with paraplegia

Notes and References

1. News: Peterson. Maureen. Author fights handicap label. The Montreal Gazette. June 12, 1981.
2. Web site: The tragic tale of Max Brito – the Ivorian player paralysed at the 1995 Rugby World Cup. 17 September 2015. The 42. 17 September 2015.
3. Web site: John Callahan, Cartoonist, Dies at 59 . Bruce . Weber . . July 28, 2010 . August 2, 2010.
4. Web site: Veteran had indomitable spirit: Paralyzed airman invented bus that accommodates wheelchairs. Halifax Daily News, Wednesday 26 September 2007 . 24 June 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131019134754/http://www.rusi.ca/Veteran%20had%20indomitable%20spirit.pdf . 19 October 2013 . dead . dmy-all .
5. https://web.archive.org/web/20051113155241/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,868262,00.html "Man Behind the Plate"
6. Mills, Frederick James. The life of John Carter (New York, Hurd and Houghton, 1868), pp. 8-10, 20.
7. News: Augenstein. Neal. Neal Augenstein. Documentary on talented, trouble singer delayed by widow. WTOP. August 31, 2015. February 7, 2020.
8. O'Hagan, Sean Head Master, The Observer, October 9, 2005
9. Web site: Ross. Jim. Jim Ross. WWE's Darren Drozdov thrives 15 years after being paralyzed during match. FOX Sports. August 5, 2016.
10. Web site: Quadriplegic About to Become Grad of Harvard . Steinberg, Jacques. OrlandoSentinel.com. Orlando Sentinel. 17 May 2000.
11. News: DeFour . Matthew . Madison Civic Activist Jeff Erlanger Dies . Wisconsin State Journal . June 12, 2007 . 1 . . March 30, 2020.
12. News: Steven Fletcher had a long road from the accident that paralyzed him to the House of Commons . . March 27, 2014 . July 5, 2020 . Brian . Hutchinson.
13. News: Weber . Bruce . 2011-02-08 . J. Paul Getty III, 54, Dies; Had Ear Cut Off by Captors . en-US . The New York Times . 2022-11-05 . 0362-4331.
14. https://www.stamfordmercury.co.uk/news/construction-work-begins-on-matt-hampson-foundation-s-1-million-rehabilitation-centre-1-7703957/ Construction work begins on Matt Hampson Foundation’s £1 million rehabilitation centre
15. News: 26 November 2015. Mind over matter: How Stephen Hawking defied Motor Neurone Disease for 50 years. The Independent. live. 15 September 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170823050027/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/mind-over-matter-how-stephen-hawking-defied-motor-neurone-disease-for-50-years-6286313.html. 23 August 2017.
16. Web site: Fekete. Jason. Kent Hehr overcomes enormous personal and political obstacles to become Calgary Liberal MP. Ottawa Citizen. Ottawa Citizen. 26 August 2016.
17. Memo from the publisher. Sports Illustrated. Phillips. Harry. February 28, 1955. 8.
18. Web site: Gottschalk retires from "Wetten Dass" after accident with Samuel Koch. The Local – Germany's news in English. 9 June 2022. 13 February 2011.
19. Web site: Life Does Not Stand Still: The Wheelchair Model .
20. Web site: Hawthorn. Tom . Canadian cyclist Jocelyn Lovell became fierce advocate for spinal-cord research . The Globe and Mail . 5 October 2020 . 17 June 2016.
21. News: Tom Luckey: Not your traditional architect; Climbing new heights. https://web.archive.org/web/20150329065037/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-12597310.html. dead. 29 March 2015. New Haven Register. Robert. Varley. 31 May 2006. 6 June 2012.
22. Book: John Tobler. 1992. NME Rock 'N' Roll Years. 1st. Reed International Books Ltd. 473. CN 5585.
23. News: Guy McElroy, Facing His Future . 1990-01-14 . Elizabeth Kastor . . Washington, D.C. . 0190-8286 . 1330888409.
24. Web site: Umerla Elena Mukhina . Russian . ru:Умерла Елена Мухина . Elena Mukhina has died . Pavel . Krasnov . 2006-12-24 . gazeta.ru . 2016-01-09.
25. Web site: This Lady Became Pakistan's First Quadriplegic Physician After Suffering Near-Paralysis . 14 December 2016 . en-US . 2018-01-10.
26. University Libraries. "Ameristar History", UNLV Center For Gaming Research, June, 2015.
27. News: Graduate becomes Queensland's first quadriplegic medical intern. 9 January 2017. ABC News. 18 February 2017. en-AU.
28. The Trials of Teddy Pendergrass. March 18, 1994. Entertainment Weekly. August 3, 2008. Tim. Purtell.
29. Web site: Exhibition of paralysed artist's works . Tinning . William . 24 Sep 2007 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20121009062241/http://www.heraldscotland.com/exhibition-of-paralysed-artist-s-works-1.865742 . 9 October 2012 . dead . dmy .
30. Romano, Lois. Riding Accident Paralyzes Actor Christopher Reeve. Washington Post, June 1, 1995, pg. A01. Accessed November 19, 2006
31. Web site: Ed Roberts' Wheelchair Records a Story of Obstacles Overcome . The Smithsonian Magazine . March 13, 2015 . January 24, 2017.
32. News: Medical Miracle . The Washington Post . September 26, 2011 . Tom . Dunkel . January 27, 2008.
33. Live and Let Die . . 26 January 1998 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110628230407/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/1998/int/980126/file.live_and_let_die.sh11.html . 28 June 2011 . Usher . Rod . Rod Usher . 151 . dead . 4.
34. Web site: Weaver. Matt. Paralyzed Sam Schmidt set to race 77-year-old Mario Andretti at Indianapolis. Autoweek. 19 May 2018. 13 May 2017.
35. News: Debating Aids Cripples . . 9 February 1960 . 3 June 2015 . 23.
36. News: Dardick . Geeta . High Fashion for the Disabled . 5 June 1985 . 19 June 2022 . Lawrence Journal-World.
37. Web site: Kreidler . Mark . Mourning Stingley, but the game goes on . ESPN.com . April 5, 2007 . April 5, 2007.
38. http://www.disabled-world.com/artman/publish/sam-sullivan.shtml "Vancouver Mayor Achieves his Dreams"
39. Web site: Joni Eareckson Tada . A Minute with History's Women . November 30, 2018.
40. News: Utley still paralyzed, career probably over . Ludington Daily News . (Michigan) . Associated Press . Kole . Bill . November 19, 1991 . 7.
41. Heatwave Frontman Johnnie Wilder Jr. Dies. Billboard. 28 July 2019.
42. News: Sheikh Yassin: Spiritual figurehead . 7 August 2007. 22 March 2004. BBC Online.
43. Freydkin, Donna. "From Murderball to reluctant movie star", USA Today. July 7, 2005. Retrieved December 28, 2005.
44. News: Stitt . Chanel . Record-winning quadriplegic gamer becomes one of the first to sign professional deal . May 21, 2022 . . August 17, 2020.