I went to a nightclub in New York and watched the stage lights go up. After the band played an introduction, Wesla Whitfield wheeled herself onstage in a wheelchair. As she sang, Whitfield’s voice was so powerful and soulful that everyone in the room forgot the wheelchair was even there.

　　At 57, Whitfield is small and pretty, witty and humble, persistent and philosophical. Raised in California, Whitfield began performing in public at age 18, when she took a job as a singing waitress at a pizza parlor. After studying classical music in college, she moved to San Francisco and went on to sing with the San Francisco Opera Chorus.

　　Walking home from a party at age 29, she was caught in a random (偶然的) shooting that left her paralyzed (瘫痪) from the waist down. I asked how she dealt with the realization that she’d never walk again, and she admitted that initially she didn’t want to face it. After a year of depression (沮丧) she tried to kill herself. She was then admitted to a hospital for treatment, where she was able to recover.

　　Whitfield said she came to understand that the only thing she had lost in this misfortunate event was the ability to walk. She still possessed her most valuable thing - her mind. Pointing to her head, she said, “Everything important is in here. The only real disability in life is losing your mind.” When I asked if she was angry about what she had lost, she admitted to being disappointed occasionally, “especially when everybody’s dancing, because I love to dance. But when that happens I just remove myself so I can focus instead on what I can do.”

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