Joannah Peterson was a bright, attractive, typical 14-year-old when the accident occurred. In the car with her were her older brother and a cousin. Both escaped with minor injuries, but for Peterson, the story was different.
After one month in hospital and three months of rehabilitation at the Shepards Spinal Center in Atlanta, Ga., she went back home to Glasgow, Ky. She was paralyzed from the waist down.
Returning to school in a wheelchair, she found some of her friends distancing themselves from her. They were unable to accept her physical disability. For Peterson, however, her experiences had given her a new strength and perspective on life.