Our No Barriers hosts, Erik and Dave, and catch up with Heather Zoccali as part of our sponsored Alchemy Series. Heather has long been a leader in our No Barriers community. She heads our Caregivers Program: a curriculum-based program of transformative workshops, retreats and expeditions designed to improve the lives of family caregivers. And Heather knows firsthand the stress and isolation that comes with being a caregiver. She was thrust into the role as a child and then again experienced tragedy in her adult life when her son, Connor, was in a vehicle-pedestrian accident that led to a Spinal Cord injury that put him in a wheelchair. But Heather is the ultimate Alchemist. Her attitude and mindset have helped her not to only be strong in the face of adversity but to turn her pain into action that benefits those around her.
A continuation of our Alchemy Series, sponsored by Wells Fargo and Prudential, we speak to Heather Zoccali. Heather hails from Kentucky and has made Colorado her home since 2002. Heather taught dance in public schools but personal tragedies in her life led her in a new direction. Heather found that caregivers were often a forgotten part of the rehabilitation and recovery process and needed opportunities to practice self-care. With that in mind, she founded The Arch Foundation in 2017, to help bridge that gap and provide caregivers with resources.
She has since been honored as a Colorado State University Hometown Hero, as Rookie of the Year for Volunteer Disaster Aid Work with The American Red Cross, and received a Tribute from the State of CO for her pioneering work for Family Caregivers. Heather firmly believes in the notion that a broken spirit grows back stronger in the face of tremendous life challenges and lives her life accordingly.
Heather’s core beliefs are rooted in choices we are all capable of making: the choice to forgive; the choice to find magic in the world, especially at times when it seems near-impossible; and last but surely not least, the choice to be happy and find within yourself a resilience that we all possess.
She continues to live in Fort Collins, CO with her husband Matt and her two sons, Connor & Max as well and now her mother ‘Nana.’
Additional Resources:
https://themighty.com/2020/01/becoming-caregiver-after-spinal-cord-injury/
No Barriers Caregiver Resources
No Barriers Caregivers Facebook Group (Private)