Older Posts
In the eyes of many, Elizabeth Floch was born with a bad hand of cards. Born with Transverse myelitis in China in 2002, she was sent to an orphanage where she would spend most of her childhood. But as a little girl, she discovered wheelchair basketball, which would set the trajectory for the next phase of her life. From moving to the US and getting adopted to the difficult decision of choosing a university, read on for Floch’s journey.
Discovering Adaptive Sports, Moving to the US
Becoming adopted can take years, but fortunately for Floch, her adoption process was finalized when she was still a child. After living in an orphanage for the first 10 years of her life and discovering wheelchair basketball from Philip Croft, a young man who lived in the same orphanage, the Floch family in Idaho adopted her in 2012, which is when her involvement in wheelchair sports skyrocketed.
Also discovering adaptive track and field sports after moving to the US, namely wheelchair racing, Floch found herself in competitive wheelchair track and field. She made a huge impression on the wheelchair racing world when she took the silver medal in the 800m in 2017 at the World Para Athletics Junior Championships. In 2019, she returned to Switzerland for the same championship, winning a bronze medal.
However despite her success in track and field, Floch says she prefers basketball due to the team aspect, which is why she enrolled at the University of Alabama. “I decided on The University of Alabama because they have the best wheelchair basketball program and their education is top tier as well. I got a scholarship for playing on the basketball team.”
Floch hopes to major in elementary education while at college. “I have had many inspirational teachers and I love kids. They are energetic, curious, fun, and always learning.”
Her First Job
Now in her junior year at the University of Alabama, Floch was hired for her first job this past summer, where she worked the front desk at a pet rescue. “I did succeed in finding a job this past summer. My job was at a pet rescue, and I worked at the front desk. I received phone calls and filled out lost/found pet reports.”
She also realized she needs to think outside the box while at the workplace. “I worked hard and tried to learn and apply what I learned as quickly as possible. First I only did commuter work and received phone calls, later I refilled donated cat/dog food, reloaded laundry, organized files and more. I realized I can do a lot more than what I give credit for myself.” “This job has given me confidence to try more things,” she says.
Floch wants others in similar situations to know they are more capable than they might think. “Before I got the job, I was always worried about my disability but after I got a pet rescue job, I realized that I can complete the job that is required of me and did even better than expected.”
She also wants to thank Josh Basile, co-founder of SPINALpedia, for his help. “I have been blessed to connect with Josh Basile through the Nielson scholarship. Through him I learned that I’m not alone on the journey and I have been encouraged by many peoples’ stories.”
ideas@spinalpedia.com
