At the age of 33 after a chiropractic accident, Peachtree City resident Marsha Bass Schmid was left paralyzed from the neck down. She was placed on life support, and her world as she knew it, was forever changed.
Before her accident, Marsha was a successful sales rep, number one in the country for her company. In excellent health, she was an avid fitness competitor with plans to pursue professional status. Now, she could no longer speak, open her eyes, or breathe on her own; yet her brain was still active, and she was aware of what was happening.
Committed to Living
Despite her tragic setback, it was then that Marsha committed to living and to never give up. She turned those words into her daily mantra and began to work tirelessly first to survive and work to recover. As she met each tiny milestone, Marsha felt a calling to spread that message of hope and tenacity to others.
In July 2019, Marsha has crowned Ms. Wheelchair Georgia USA, Ms. Congeniality and later conferred Ms. Wheelchair USA as well. The Ms. Wheelchair USA pageant program’s mission is to provide an opportunity of achievement for women who happen to be wheelchair users. The pageants focus on successful education and advocacy for more than 64 million Americans living with disabilities.
In 2018, Marsha was also awarded the title of Ms. Wheelchair Southeastern USA 2018, The Dane Foundation Quality of Life Award, and tied for Ms. Congeniality. She then finished the year as 2nd runner-up to Ms. Wheelchair USA.
As summer 2019 began, Marsha took her first steps independently. She plans to continue to focus on her recovery and spend quality time with her son Troy; and is now turning her experience toward motivational speaking.
Angel Companions is honored to share Marsha’s story of hope and persistence and applauds her commitment of turning a tragic event into a message of inspiration for others.