tracy gale

I am almost never what people expect me to be. I can be loud, quiet, liberal, conservative, happy, sad, full of energy, and tired. In other words, I am very human.

I am married, have been for 7 years. My husband is my best friend. We have two boys, Damien 14, and Liam 6. I try to make my family and my faith in God my priorities in life. They are the most important things to me.

I have had a rough life. This is something I try not to dwell on too much. I grew up all over the U.S. and moved to Texas in 1999. I graduated from high school here, then Blinn with an A.S. in Business, then SHSU with a BBA in Economics.I worked for a law firm for several years and my husband and I owned a plumbing company until 2010.

Jan. 18, 2010 I was injured in a car accident, which left me a complete T-2 spinal cord injury. In other words, I am paralyzed from the chest down. I am incredibly lucky to be alive and to have the function of my hands. I thank God every day that my youngest child walked away from the accident without a scratch. Later that year, my husband was playing his first company softball game, slid into a base that didn't move when his body did. He is now a left below-the-knee amputee.

Things have been interesting the past couple years, to say the least. We now have new lives with new passions and priorities. A couple goals that we have for "someday" include a halfway house for teenage mothers, as well as one for people who have to leave rehab after a siginificant injury, but cannot yet return home.

I am really excited and happy about working at BVCIL. I don't necessarily need to work, but I want so much to be a part of making the lives better for people with disabilities. There is so much need out there and I feel like it is a part of God's plan for me to address that, in my own small way. This may seem selfish, but I really don't want everything I have gone through to be for nothing. I want to use it for a positive purpose.