Haley Scott DeMaria

(http://www.haleybook.com)

On August 4th, 1973 Haley Scott DeMaria was born in Phoenix, Arizona. She was strong headed and very independent. Her grandma and family called her "the PIN" or "the pain in the neck". Her parents always supported her in swimming and she started at the age of ten. If you told her what she was going to do in life then she would probably freak out. Why? Haley Scott DeMaria was on that school bus for Notre Dame the night that it slid off the road. It was January 24th, 1992 everyone lived except for two people. Colleen and Meghan, two really close friends died and Haley Scott was the only one who was paralyzed. She was told she would never be able to walk or swim again. Boy, did she prove the doctors wrong. Haley Scott's recovery was indescribable, and I find her to be inspirational and incredible.

Haley Scott a couple days after the bus crash (http://www.haleybook.com)

Shortly after the accident, while Haley was resting, her parents went with the nurse to give Haley all the possibilities in a wheelchair. Except they refused to put her in one. Haley agreed with her parents. She promised herself not only to walk but to swim again too. She shattered three parts of her vertebrate and she could not move below her waist. It took her five days to wiggle her toe and one month to walk again. Due to the accident, she had six surgeries to help her walk. First she started to roll, and then crawl like a baby, then a walker, and finally she could walk by herself. It was the most terrifying month of her life.

Haley doesn't dwell on the "why me" aspects in life because the accident made her stronger. Though she still will never forget about the accident and it will remain a scar in her life, Haley wouldn't stop; she would keep going until she succeeded. By writing the book "What Though The Odds: Haley Scott's Story of Faith and Triumph" with Bob Schaller, she learned more about herself, family, healing and grieving. She tried writing the book twice, once while returning to college, and in the early 90s, but she was still getting over the loss of her friends. This traumatic event took over her life in a heartbeat.

Haley Scott DeMaria, now thirty-six years old is not just a person, not just a bus crash survivor, but a hero. She learned how to walk, and how to deal with so much emotional stress that would seem impossible to handle. She won over six awards due to what she accomplished in life. If you ever ask the athletic director of Notre Dame what his favorite story of the school is he'll say, "Haley Scott." I have never heard of someone so inspirational, so real, and so incredible. She learned about the positives in life, such as the goodness in human spirit. Haley Scott is a bus crash survivor, but she is more then that, she is an inspirational, influential, person who had a life story of faith and triumph.

Bibliography

"Biography of Haley Scott DeMaria." Haley Scott DeMaria. Hadella, LLC.  2008. 24 September 2009 http://www.haleybook.com/bio.php >

"Tragedy Remembered (Men's Swimming)." Daily Northwestern. MTV.7 April 2009. 29 September 2009 -1.1974066 >

"Swimmer Tells Story of Recovery From Bus Accident" The Capital. Capital Gazette Communications Inc.  2009. 29 September 2009 of-recovery-from-bus-accident.html?ne=1>

"Bus Crash Survivors Offer Hope to Others." ESPN swimming. ESPN 2009. 1 October 2009

"Against-the-odds journey from near death to healing." USA Today. USA Today  2009. 1 October 2009 http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/BioRC?vrsn=149&OP=contains&locID=mlin_w_
richard&srchtp=name&c=1&NA=Haley+Scott+DeMaria&ste=6&tbst=prp&tab=8&docNum=CJ180893386&bConts=8

http://www.haleybook.com/images/haley5.jpg

http://www.haleybook.com/images/haley8.jpg