COLORADO SPRINGS — An environment of empowerment and positivity, Ms. Wheelchair USA has been an ongoing tradition for over fifty years. And Chris Layne can’t be stopped.
“That’s what I want to get out is… even though I’m in a wheelchair, it doesn’t mean it’s going to limit me from doing things that I love to do,” said Layne, who held the title of Ms. Wheelchair in 2020 and 2021 and was a runner up for Ms. Wheelchair USA.
Now, she’s using her platform to inspire.
Ms. Wheelchair has a long history of empowering women with disabilities. Credit: Ray Harless
“Miss Wheelchair Colorado is to empower people to get up, get out and get moving. Get rolling,” Layne said.
Layne wound up in a wheelchair after a hike in celebration of her son’s 17th birthday.
“It was really to be there as a nurse and also to be there as a mom to celebrate the day. About seven steps into my hike, I was the one that fell,” Layne said.
Layne ended up slipping on some loose gravel and then fell 80 feet down a canyon. Looking back, she said she’s just happy to be alive.
“I shouldn’t have survived an 80-foot fall down the canyon, but I did. And you have to celebrate life when you encounter something and know really what is so important in life,” Layne said.
After a good run, Layne is now passing her crown to Ms. Wheelchair Colorado 2022, Rachel Frey.
Ms. Wheelchair Colorado 2020/2021 crowns her successor. Credit: Ray Harless
“Now I was just want to make sure I make everybody proud,” Frey said.
“I know she’ll do a good job,” Layne said.
Frey was in a car accident on I25 which resulted in her being permanently confined to a wheelchair, but she said meeting others has kept her positive.
“Everybody has something and suffering in their life. And I’m in a wheelchair so you can see my suffering, but everybody has it,” Frey said.
Frey said Ms. Wheelchair Colorado gives her a opportunity to inspire others. Credit: Ray Harless
And now, she said she is happy she gets to pay it forward.
“I’m not happy the accident happened, but I am happy it put me in the chair so I can advocate now for something I would totally not know any other way.”
