SCI Superstar: Henry Fraser

Injured in 2009, Henry Fraser has come a long way since becoming paralyzed. A former rugby player who discovered he had a talent for watercolor painting post-injury, he went on to skyrocket to fame thanks to his paintings of famous athletes.

But mouth painting isn’t everything he does. Also an author and a speaker, Henry turned his injury into something much bigger than himself. Read on to learn more about this unforgettable spirit.

Why He’s Fearless

It was while on holiday in Portugal, when he was 17 years old, when Henry’s life changed. While playing on the beach with his buddies, he decided to dive into an area of water nearby, but like so many before him with spinal cord injuries from diving accidents, he misjudged the depth. Henry broke his 3rd vertebrae in the dive, and couldn’t move anything but his head to get his friends’ attention.

Fortunately his friends noticed him and saved him. Henry was airlifted to the UK to complete his rehabilitation and in 2010, he returned to school to finish high school. After returning home, he worked hard on increasing his strength, even being able to lift 40 pounds with just a few back muscles. Henry put 110% into his rehabilitation.

And while he was in rehab to battle boredom, he began painting with his iPad, and soon discovered he loved painting; something he enjoyed when he was younger as well. To paint, Henry uses angled brushes with a rubber piece at the end so the brushes are easy to hold his mouth and he uses a special stylus and easel. His preferred medium is watercolor as well since it requires less mixing.

Since discovering painting, he has attracted the attention of several celebrities after painting their portraits, including David Beckham, who he was able to meet. Henry has also made portraits of a Tour de France winner Chris Froome, Roger Federer, Harry Potter (with a shout-out from JK Rowling, who wrote the forward to one of his books), Thierry Henry, Olympic runner Usain Bolt and many more. He holds art exhibitions yearly as well since becoming a painter.

What’s Next?

But painting isn’t everything Henry has done post-injury. He’s written two books. The first, The Power in You, is a inspirational memoir, and his second book, The little big things, is a unique book that’s about embracing life through adversity, with a forward written by J.K. Rowling. In fact, his most recent book was turned into a West End musical with the same name, “The Little big things.” Real life wheelchair-user and actor Ed Larkin portrayed Henry, and was the first performer who uses a wheelchair to perform in West End.

And he found he’s a powerful public speaker. Henry focuses on the positive and talks about what is possible instead of focusing on what’s no longer possible. He gives speeches to schools, businesses, rugby clubs and anywhere else who’s smart to book him. His bright attitude is always needed in the spinal cord injury world and he proves you don’t need anything more than a serious drive in life, not a working body, to get things done.

— Visit his site: HenryFraserArt.com