Peer & Family Support Program Spotlight: Nathaniel Clark

After Nathaniel Clark sustained a spinal cord injury in a 2023 car accident, he was both grateful to be alive and utterly overwhelmed.

“Everything changed for me,” he says. “Everything.”

Help from the tightly knit extended family that surrounded him in northern Alabama anchored the first year of Clark’s recovery. His aunt and uncle sorted his insurance, arranged for his rehabilitation at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, and welcomed him into their home after he was discharged. Along with his brother, they helped him sell his inaccessible home and search for another that would better accommodate his T7-T8 injury.

But, despite their best efforts and critical support, it wasn’t quite enough. As he thought more about moving, Clark realized he had a mountain of questions about home modifications and living on his own; he needed to talk to someone who knew exactly where he was coming from.

“I just wanted to know it was possible,” he says.

Clark called the National Paralysis Resource Center (NPRC) and asked to be matched with a peer mentor. Over the next few months, speaking with a peer in Ohio with a similar injury level, he found the detailed answers he needed about bathroom sinks, seat cushions and shower chairs. But they also talked about bladder issues and driving after injury and the kind of big picture questions – ‘How long did it take to accept the new injury level and new life?’ – that few others truly understood.

“It's almost like an electric shock to talk to somebody who gets what you’re saying,” Clark says, adding, “You can try your best to empathize, but you can’t really unless you’ve been there.”

Clark is one of more than 29,000 people who have been matched with mentors since the NPRC launched its Peer & Family Support Program in 2011. The need for connection is both emotional and practical: people living with paralysis not only understand first-hand the singular challenges that come with an injury but are often the best resource for the creative hacks and tips that make life better.

The program also serves as a gateway to the many other supports and services offered by the NPRC. When Clark was about to close on his new home, he knew he’d need ramps and an adapted master bathroom sooner rather than later. He reached out to an NPRC Information Specialist (IS), who provided Clark with a comprehensive list of Alabama-specific resources, ranging from the local Center for Independent Living to businesses with experience in home modifications, to help get him started.

The practical help – and early encouragement provided by his mentor – ensured that Clark’s move was a success. These days, he’s living independently, though adapting to the injury and health challenges that have come with it has taken some time. Writing poetry helps, as does playing with his beloved nieces and nephews. But he knows, if or when he needs it, his peer mentor and the IS team are only a phone call away.

“At a basic level, it made me realize what was possible,” he says. “They let me know that resources are out there. That the trail had already been blazed, and there are avenues for assistance, if you want it.”

To learn more about the National Paralysis Resource Center and its services, including the peer mentor program and free online support groups, please visit www.ChristopherReeve.org/Peer