Contributor Bio: Leslie Ostrander

Leslie Ostrander probably has more reason than most people to feel sorry for herself.  But she doesn’t. She feels immensely blessed!

This 40-year-old mother of two was just Four years old when she was in a life-altering car accident that left her paralyzed from the waist-down and impaired the mobility of her hands.  It’s understandable that she might have dark moments, though they are far and few and are outweighed by the bright ones.  Leslie can do all things for herself.  She is totally 100 percent independent, although things like dressing and showering take a lot of time.

Leslie has had the confidence to pursue things that others might not think she would be capable of.  For instance, she met her husband while snow skiing and she participated in the 1993 Miss Columbus pageant, where she was named Miss Congeniality.  She’s also published a book, a memoir chronicling her path to personal growth.  She had two healthy pregnancies and two active boys, Dylan and Clay.

Leslie has a speaking career where she finds herself at church groups and corporations, touching on topics such as not making excuses, getting away from negative self-talk and how fear can be more disabling than physical limitations.  The highlight of her speaking career was when she shared her story with hundreds of wounded warriors from Fort Benning's Warrior Transition Battalion.  She's never been in the shoes of a wounded Soldier and cautioned that telling her story is only to illustrate examples of resiliency.

She's not looking for pity - she doesn't have room in her life for that.  Her positive outlook, born of hard-won resiliency, encourages others to look beyond their limitations to see their potential.

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