W(o)W: Redefining Life with Karen Roy
While adventuring around Louisiana State University on a warm Saturday afternoon during early February, I offered to take a picture of a stranger who I would soon come to know as Karen Roy. Taking a picture turned into a conversation that became a phone interview and a priceless conversation that I will always remember.
Karen is a Louisiana native who returned to Louisiana at age 12 after living in Iowa for a short amount of time during her childhood. She attended Louisiana State University, where she studied psychology and experienced an event that would change her life forever. On September 19, 1987, the day of the LSU vs. Rice football game, Karen, against her own intuition, decided to go out that evening with her boyfriend, Mike. At the end of the night they were shocked to find her car had been broken into and what appeared to be a car burglary quickly turned into a fight for survival.
Karen and Mike were not alone as they inspected the damages of the burglary. Ambushed by the two burglars, Karen was shot in the back resulting in lost blood, a punctured lung, and a severed spinal cord, which paralyzed her from the waist down. She was hospitalized for two months and returned to school the following fall semester. Karen was told she would never walk again, but could still have kids. Today, she is a mother to three children and boldly shares her story to encourage others. After almost dying at age 19, she understands what, “don’t waste life” truly means.
“I think my disability is my superpower”
Karen and Mike dated for 5 years after the accident and were engaged to be married, but the wedding was called off by Karen after the invitations were sent out because she felt hesitancy from him. She continued to pursue a master’s degree in social work and spent time working in a rehabilitation hospital.
She married, started a family and continued working in the social work field. Her husband passed away 6 years ago from a fentanyl overdose. During this time, she was transitioning from social work into sales and marketing. Following his passing, Karen became the sole provider for her family and continued to work in sales for Numotion, the largest supplier of wheelchairs in the nation, and continue her disability advocacy.
Karen’s current go-to songs: Big Energy by Latto & Cover Me in Sunshine by Pink
She won Miss Wheel Chair Louisiana in 2018 and Miss Wheelchair America in 2019! These honors require the ability to sufficiently communicate your history of advocacy and articulate the impact of your platform. This propelled her into becoming a brand ambassador for Numotion. During COVID, Karen started a podcast, “Life Possible with a Disability.”
Karen’s work is centered around giving a voice to voiceless and having conversations that raise awareness of wheelchair user experiences. Advocacy is woven through every part of her life, both personal and professional. In the workforce, she stresses the importance of asking for what you deserve and how this is unique for her as a woman and a person with a disability.
Community has looked different for Karen throughout various phases of her life. In the beginning of adapting to her new disability, Karen didn’t have pride and felt as if she was always fighting for people to see her. She didn’t want the wheelchair to become her identity and shares her feelings of loneliness and isolation as a woman, highlighting how they are the minority within the disability community.
She moved forward in bravery finding pride in who she is and through embracing her disability found a beautiful new community. This community came from various endeavors such as her pursuit of the Miss America Wheelchair title, she emphasizes that, “the crown wasn’t the biggest prize, but the relationships were.”
Empowerment is the core of who Karen is. She believes that, “Empowerment is showing people the beauty you see in them when they can’t see it in themselves.” Her female network is empowering because they propel each other forward, provide a safe place to fall and do not make it about competition. She has a special role as the mother of a daughter, who is currently pursuing a degree in social work, and shares this lifestyle of women empowerment with her.
“Just do it. Fear is what holds people back, so just do it. Nobody knows how to do anything until they try . . . I came to understand that failure from trying something new is better than staying stuck.”
Grieving is real and it is different for everyone. Karen acknowledges her disability as the loss of something that took her about three years to grieve. She told her doctor that they didn’t know her future and what could happen, believing that she held the power and not her disability. Through grieving and mourning the life she once had, Karen found new direction in valuing health and wellness.
Recently, Karen has been advocating for awareness about catheters (made with plastic) and using products without carcinogens. This was inspired by her recent diagnosis of bladder cancer. She travels between Baton Rouge, LA and Houston, TX for treatments. Each time she brings a different friend with her and believes there is always a silver lining.
Karen lives an electric life. During the middle of COVID she bought a convertible. After placing motherhood at the center of her life for years, she decided it was time to drive with the sunshine on her face while blaring her feel-good music. In May of 2021, she jumped out of a plane for the first time. Karen lives outside the comfort zone because that’s where she finds the magic and it is hard, painful, and uncomfortable - but overwhelmingly beautiful still.
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