Twelve years ago on November 11, Danny White was driving home from a nighttime hunting trip and fell asleep at the wheel. The accident broke his neck and he became paralyzed from the waist down. He is self-sufficient, but only due to accommodations such as portable wheelchairs and hand controls to drive his car. However, he is a husband, a father with a full-time job, a friend, a hunter, and a rugby player.
Life didn’t stop when he lost the use of his legs.
Danny White is a member of the Buckeye Blitz Quad Rugby team and plays regularly in tournaments like this one held in Ohio University’s Ping Student Center on Saturday, September 15, 2012. Unfortunately, he may not be able to play many more tournaments this year because of his demanding job.
His neck broke far enough down that he is largely self-sufficient, though still relies on a wheelchair for transportation.
Danny sees many sunrises on his way to work at Nationwide Insurance. For the next few months, he will be on Catastrophe Duty working 12 hours a day, 7 days a week to handle the Hurricane Sandy destruction.
Portable wheelchairs allow Danny to handle transportation by himself. He takes off the wheels, and then puts the chair in the back seat of his car.
Danny hunts in a blind in his friend’s back yard because of its more convenient location. Mid to late fall is prime hunting season, but his long work hours make it hard to find time for hunting.
Impatient for game to appear, Danny uses a doe bleat to try to entice bucks into the back yard clearing in the short time he has before going to work.
Danny rants to co-worker Amber Sullivan about a frustrating insurance claim. He has to deal with everything from melted ice cream cakes to home damage during his CAT duty at Nationwide Insurance.
Danny talks guns and hunting with Brad Householder, a close friend since they played t-ball together 27 years ago, while Mandy and Amy, Danny and Brad's wives, talk shopping and gifts on a Saturday night.
Danny, Brody, and Mandy cuddle and watch a T.V. episode before bed.