Brooke Mackenzie Ellison (born October 20, 1978) is an American politician. She is known for being the first

quadriplegic Tetraplegia, also known as quadriplegia, is defined as the dysfunction or loss of motor and/or sensory function in the cervical area of the spinal cord. A loss of motor function can present as either weakness or paralysis leading to partial or ...

to graduate from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

History

On September 4, 1990, at the age of 11, Brooke was hit by a car while walking home on her first day of junior high school, resulting in her being

paralyzed Paralysis (also known as plegia) is a loss of motor function in one or more muscles. Paralysis can also be accompanied by a loss of feeling (sensory loss) in the affected area if there is sensory damage. In the United States, roughly 1 in 5 ...

from the neck down. Although her injuries left her completely dependent on other people, she graduated from

Ward Melville High School Ward Melville High School is a public high school in the Three Village Central School District of Suffolk County, New York on Long Island, serving grades ten through twelve. It is fed by the two junior high schools in the district: Paul J. ...

in 1996 with high honors, and was accepted by Harvard. She graduated '' magna cum laude'' from Harvard with a

bachelor of science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...

cognitive neuroscience Cognitive neuroscience is the scientific field that is concerned with the study of the biological processes and aspects that underlie cognition, with a specific focus on the neural connections in the brain which are involved in mental process ...

in 2000, and a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in public policy from Harvard's

Kennedy School of Government The Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), officially the John F. Kennedy School of Government, is the school of public policy and government of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school offers master's degrees in public policy, public ...

. In 2004 Rutgers University awarded Brooke Ellison with an honorary doctorate in humane letters. Ellison completed her Ph.D. in 2015 from Stony Brook University. In November 2005, Ellison teamed up with director

James Siegel James Siegel (born 1954) is an American thriller novelist. He holds a B.A. from the York College 1977, City University of New York, and lives in Manhattan and Sag Harbor, NY. Siegel worked for many years as an advertising executive in New Yo ...

to create the winning documentary "Hope Deferred", which aims to educate the general public about

embryonic stem cell research Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are pluripotent stem cells derived from the inner cell mass of a blastocyst, an early-stage pre- implantation embryo. Human embryos reach the blastocyst stage 4–5 days post fertilization, at which time they consist ...

. She is also the author of two books.

''The Brooke Ellison Story''

''The Brooke Ellison Story'' premiered in 2004, based on Ellison's memoir ''Miracles Happen: One Mother, One Daughter, One Journey'', which she co-wrote with her mother in alternating chapters following her graduation from Harvard. The

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

was directed by fellow quadriplegic

Christopher Reeve Christopher D'Olier Reeve (September 25, 1952 – October 10, 2004) was an American actor, best known for playing the title character in the film '' Superman'' (1978) and three sequels. Born in New York City and raised in Princeton, New Jersey ...

, the star of '' Superman''. Brooke was portrayed by

Vanessa Marano Vanessa Nicole Marano (born October 31, 1992) is an American actress. She has starred in television movies and had recurring roles in such series as ''Without a Trace'', ''Gilmore Girls'', ''Ghost Whisperer'', '' Scoundrels'', ''Grey's Anatomy'' ...

as a child and

Lacey Chabert Lacey Nicole Chabert ( ; born September 30, 1982) is an American actress. One of her first roles was playing Erica Kane's daughter on ''All My Children''. She was the third actress to play Bianca Montgomery, playing the part from 1992 until 1993. ...

as a teenager. It is also notable for being Reeve's final directing project. The film aired on October 25, 2004, just a few weeks after Reeve's death.

Candidate for State Senate

Brooke Ellison ran for New York State Senate as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

in 2006 but was defeated by the

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

incumbent,

John Flanagan John Flanagan or Jack Flanagan may refer to: Sportspeople * Jack Flanagan (footballer) (1902–1989), English footballer * John Flanagan (hammer thrower) (1868–1938), Irish-American three-time Olympic champion in athletics * John Flanagan (Limeri ...

. Ellison has not commented on whether or not she intends to run for office again. One of Ellison's principal issues is her support for

. She serves on the advisory board of the Genetics Policy Institute. Ellison is also a motivational speaker.

References

External links

* * Living people People with tetraplegia 1978 births Harvard Kennedy School alumni People from Stony Brook, New York Ward Melville High School alumni New York (state) Democrats Women in New York (state) politics American politicians with disabilities Candidates in the 2006 United States elections 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians Stony Brook University alumni {{NewYork-politician-stub

History

''The Brooke Ellison Story''

Candidate for State Senate

Further reading

References

External links