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Ellen Stohl, a former model, mom and professor and lecturer, took a proactive approach after breaking her neck at the age of 19 to make a dream come true. She wrote a letter to Hugh Hefner, asking him to do something the magazine had never been done before – to feature a woman with a disability – and he agreed.
But Stohl went on to be more than a Playboy centerfold. From becoming a mom to working as a professor at California State University at Northridge, read on for her story.
Why She’s Fearless
Before her injury, Stohl was a freshman at Cal State Fullerton. In 1982, she was a car accident, becoming an incomplete C8-T1 quadriplegic as a result. And although she returned to school, she knew right away she was going to be treated differently. After wrestling with depression post-injury and two suicide attempts, she wanted to change how she was viewed, and decided to write to Hugh Hefner.
And the response she received was more than positive. Not only would they do a full 8-page spread on her (with her both in and out of her chair), they went on to make a video The issue debuted in June 1987, and not surprisingly, her appearance stirred a lot of public opinion. Stohl made multiple appearances on talk shows at the time. Sadly, a woman with a spinal cord injury hasn’t been featured in the magazine since.
After the hub-bub died down, Stohl did graduate from Cal State Fullerton with a BA in Communications, as well as a Masters in Educational Psychology and Counseling and a K-8 multi-subject clear credential. She taught kindergarten for 14 years. After teaching kindergarten, Stohl was hired a professor at Cal State Northridge. She also gives lectures worldwide on sexuality and body image related to physical disability. In 1993, she briefly acted, and was featured in an episode of Missing Persons.
In 1997, Stohl was married. After getting married, a few years later at age 39, she gave birth to her daughter, Zoe. She never went on to have anymore kids due to pregnancy complications stemming from autonomic dysreflexia.
What’s Next?
With her daughter now grown, Stohl stays busy doing what she loves – educating others – whether it’s as a teacher or an advocate for people with disabilities. And she still occasionally does media work. She and her daughter were featured in a Wayfair commercial in 2021.
No matter what she ends up doing, Stohl always ends up helping educate the world that people with disabilities are more than their disability, and the world and disability community thank her for it. And she proves that a profound, fulfilling life is still possible after a SCI, even for those who’ve suffered from severe severe depression post-injury.
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