Published: June 06, 2008 10:41 pm            

Woman leads a full life despite debilitating injury

CHEST SPRINGS — When Margaret Storm became paralyzed from the waist down in a car accident on the way to her sister’s wedding, she didn’t let the injury stop her from leading a normal life.

Thirty-nine years later, the 60-year-old Storm continues to do what she loves most: Scrapbooking, card-making, ceramics, traveling and camping at nearby Prince Gallitzin State Park.

She had only been married to her late husband, Dave, for a month when her car hit a tree.

She was taken to a Pittsburgh hospital to recover – and has no recollection of the accident or the month that followed.

“I don’t remember anything other than waking up in the hospital, and they told me I would never walk again,” Storm said.

Doctors and other experts told her a lot of things.

She proved them wrong.

“They told me I’d never have children,” Storm said. “I surprised them and had two.” Her daughter is in the Air Force, and her son lives nearby.

She said her husband “took care of her” for 36 years before he suffered a sudden heart attack three years ago. But other than grocery shopping, Storm has managed to take care of her children, her house and lead an otherwise normal life while getting around in her wheelchair.

“I can’t reach the shelves when I go grocery shopping,” Storm explained. “Other than that, I do it all by myself.”

She was active in 4-H for about 25 years, teaching numerous Chest Springs children the skills of baby-sitting, cooking and baking. She also crafted ceramics for a number of years.

“There used to be a contest at the Jaffa Mosque in Altoona for ceramics, and they had a great big awards event,” Storm said. “I won many awards doing ceramics.”

Born and raised in the village of Dean near Ashville, Storm was one of five girls and three boys born to a mason. Her father helped build not only Storm’s house, but also St. Monica’s Roman Catholic Church in the 1950s.

Her parents still live in Dean, and she remains close to her siblings. She and her sisters camp at the state park on weekends during the summer, playing cards and enjoying each other’s company.

In recent years since her husband’s death, Storm began making her own greeting cards, including sympathy, get-well and birthday cards.

“It’s my therapy,” Storm said. “I make them here, or with my sister when I visit her in Altoona.”

Last year, she sent 600 Christmas cards to troops in Iraq.

One thing she has been doing for years is showing people how her life hadn’t changed much since her devastating accident – other than she lives it out of her wheelchair.

During the Easter season, Storm dons an Easter Bunny suit and visits nursing homes.

“I put on the suit and for the past years, I’ve been going to different nursing homes, telling them about life in a wheelchair,” Storm said, adding that the getup makes people laugh and gets their attention.

“Every year, I go somewhere different,” Storm said. “I want them to know that there is a lot they can do, even if they are in a wheelchair.”

Storm is active in her church, attending Mass every Saturday night and helping out with the annual church picnic. Keeping busy also helps with her other hobby: Writing for the local weekly newspaper about community happenings.

“I have been writing the Chest Springs News for about 20 years,” Storm said of her journalistic dabbling. “I enjoy it. I put in everything from birthdays to picnics.”

        

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