Spotlight on ThinkFirst Navajo's VIP Cecelia Fred

At just six years old, Cecelia Fred was accidentally shot in the spinal cord.

She has been paraplegic ever since.

As a child, she endured multiple operations to straighten her spine. She spent hours and hours in physical therapy to strengthen her upper body and prepare for life in a wheelchair.

As an adult, Cecelia became an advocate for individuals with disabilities, especially those with spinal injuries. She tenaciously sought out influential people in the Navajo tribe, the New Mexico state government, and the Federal government. Her tireless efforts led to better conditions and treatment for disabled individuals.

Cecelia also created an organization dedicated to helping the disabled. She found a shop space in Gallup, New Mexico, and began teaching disabled individuals to make and sell jewelry. Her organization -- Precious Life -- also offered personal and psychotherapeutic support.

Working together with Arthur Hardy, also paraplegic, Cecelia started to speak out for injury prevention in schools, senior centers, and other community settings.

Since 2005, Cecelia has given many injury prevention presentations as a VIP (Voice for Injury Prevention) for ThinkFirst Navajo, one of Eve's Fund's major programs. 

During the past seven years, she has shared her personal story with thousands of Navajo students, teaching them how to prevent disabling brain and spinal chord injuries.

As a result of her work, Cecelia was recently named the first Native American ambassador for the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation. In this role, she spreads a message of hope and advocates for better treatment and resources on behalf of people with disabilities.

This past February, along with VIP Doris Dennison (center), Cecelia (right) represented Eve's Fund in accepting the 2012 Quality of Life grant from Prita Mehta (left) of the Reeve Foundation.

Cecelia lives in the Four Corners region of New Mexico with with Jimmy K. Jones and their son and niece. For more information about her work with ThinkFirst Navajo, click here.

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