Meet Ambassador Jeff Pagels
- Jeff Pagels
Jeff doesn’t want a bad hair day to ruin his life. He remarked, “When something horrible happens, it takes about 2 weeks and a pitcher of beer to make it something that is funny, I found.”
Jeff's Journey with SCI
Jeff had his spinal cord injury (SCI) in 1984 when he was hit by a falling tree that he was cutting down. Always climbing higher, he doesn’t let the SCI stop him from a full and active life. Jeff pushed the 26.2-mile Chicago Marathon 1 year to the day after his injury. This was the beginning of his wheelchair athletic life. Jeff enjoys many sports and activities, except for bowling and parachute jumping. He serves in a leadership role on many nonprofit organizations that benefit people with SCIs. Jeff is also a peer counselor for newly injured paraplegics.
Why did Jeff want to be an ambassador?
Jeff appreciates the high quality of the free research-based resources from MSKTC and the valuable support they give people living with SCIs. He wants to help spread the word about these resources so more people can benefit from them.
What has Jeff done as an ambassador?
Jeff has shared MSKTC resources with friends in the SCI community. He plans to embed MSKTC resources in his peer counseling efforts and advocacy work. Jeff also plans to share MSKTC resources to help health care providers learn how to better care for people with SCIs.