Dan + Char

"I am Char, my husband is Dan. We are from Salt Lake City, Utah. I always love to tell people how we met, because it always seems to make them laugh. Dan and I were set up on a blind date by his ex-girlfriend. After dating for a year and a half, we were married on April 6, 2006 on a very snowy day in Salt Lake City. We were quite young when we were married- I was 21, and he was 24. But our marriage has always seemed to be easy going for us. We both worked full time and supported each other as we went through college. Dan graduated with an economics degree, and I graduated as a registered nurse. Then after we graduated college, we immediately started our family. We now have 3 beautiful daughters ages 8, 6 and 3!

Two and a half years ago, on September 30, 2017, Dan was in southern Utah with his best friend's on a "guys trip". They went mountain biking and Dan crashed his bike while gaining too much speed down a steep hill. He broke his back, which resulted in T8 and T9 burst fractures and a T3 incomplete SCI.

Obviously, this was a very unexpected challenge in our lives. Thankfully, it has made only made our marriage stronger. We have found ways to continue to share responsibilities in raising our girls and Dan has been able to work full time from home while also attending a busy physical therapy schedule.

Loving Dan has always been easy to do! He has always been a calming source in my life. When I am stressed and upset, he always knows just what to say to calm me down. And this has continued to be true even after his accident. In times when he should be mad and upset, I find that it is me feeling those emotions. In times when I should be calming him down, he is the one calming me down. Just like any other couple, we have our challenges and disagreements, but Dan always has a way of working it out with me in a rational and logical way. On top of that, Dan is HILARIOUS and is constantly making me laugh. He has the best sense of humor and is able to laugh and smile through all he has been through. I am truly lucky!

We are relatively new to this SCI world. Life will always find ways to throw curve balls, but we believe in continuing to find joy in life even through the most difficult trials.