
I have loved
Sabado Gigante, the beautifully loud Spanish hour-long TV show, since my college days, trying in vain to perfect my Spanish skills. Broadcasted on Univision and hosted by the legendary Don Fransisco with his bevy of models, this show is watched by millions around the globe. Yesterday they had on Tamara Mena, a T2 paraplegic and gorgeous model to boot.
Seeing Tamara on Sabado Gigante was very cool. Mena, 24, was injured in 2005 in a car accident (the cab she was riding in hit a horse, causing it to fall over and crush the car). Since her injury, she’s worked hard to overcome her limitations, and is now a well-known face in the SCI community, having modeled for Ti Lite and competing in the 2011 Ms. Wheelchair California pageant. She recently graduated Summa Cum Laude from California State University with a degree in Communications.
Mena, along with Amanda Boxtel, is also one of the paraplegics chosen to be an ambassador for eLegs, an exoskeleton enabling people with paralysis to walk. Her appearance on Sabado Gigante is fabulous for the community, and helps to show we are just like "everyone else."
I’m so excited that mainstream TV shows like Sabado Gigante are exposing the world to the real-world of paralysis, as well as eLegs. Any press, especially TV press, highlighting spinal cord injuries, as well as this monumental prototype, can never hurt. The more people that see us the better, and Tamara has done a huge part in helping to promote a positive live with SCI. Go Tamara!