In Keith Barney's territory, it's what you can do that counts

One of eight children, Barney remembers that he was very lonely and somewhat sad during his hospital stay. "Nobody sat me down and told me I was paralyzed," he recalled. "They were ambiguous with the information they gave me and sort of let me figure it out by myself. At 14, I wanted to believe one thing-that I would be all right-but I put the facts together, the little pieces, figuring out what my future would be." Back home in Idaho Falls, Idaho, he graduated from high school and "amazed Dad," who worried that Barney wouldn't have the necessary attention span for classes. He gives his father credit for believing that education was the equalizer and encouraging him to continue school.