Fighter Series: Who is Haleigh Rosa?

At 25, Haleigh Rosa was working for an NBC News affiliate in Minot, North Dakota.  She was involved in a car accident after hitting black ice, leaving her paralyzed below the waist.

After learning of her injuries from the accident, Haleigh did not lose hope.  She focused on fighting to get better and recover as best as she possibly could.  She says, “I didn't care how many hours of work a day I would need to put in - I just knew I was willing to do it.”

Haleigh has shared a number of takeaways she has developed throughout her journey - ideas that can apply to everyone.  During the recovery process, she says it is easy to make “getting better” the main goal, but it is equally important that you enjoy life while trying to achieve your goal(s).  In addition to practicing gratitude, she says that we should all try to be kinder to one another, as you never know what someone may be going through at any given time.  Lastly, she would like to remind us that hard work will pay off, even if you may not realize success right away - keep at it and never give up.  

Before her accident, Haleigh worked as a news anchor and reporter where she researched, edited, and reported various stories.  After she was injured, Haleigh began and currently continues doing hours of physical therapy.  Here, she focuses on rebuilding strength and relearning how to walk.  Her strong work ethic from her long working days as a news reporter is something that she has kept with her throughout her journey, which can be seen in the way she is recovering.  Slow and steady wins the race, as progress takes time.  

From being paralyzed from the waist down following the car accident, Haleigh continues to gain strength and can now walk using a walker and ankle foot orthotic braces!  

If you are going through a difficult time in your life, whether it is recovery from an injury or dealing with an unfortunate event or series of events, Haleigh has a message for you: 

“You will be happy again. It sounds crazy, (trust me, when someone said this to me after I got injured I definitely didn't believe them), but it's true. Sometimes these dark times redirect your life in the most beautiful way.”  Keep fighting for it.

Currently, Haleigh works to bring inclusivity and awareness to accessibility to new consumers.  During the beginning of her recovery process, she noticed that there was a lack of representation for the disabled community in society and decided she was going to take action to try and change that.  She has started the FOR EVERYONE Foundation, aimed at bringing awareness and support to people with various disabilities.  Her organization can be found at @foreveryone.foundation on Instagram and at www.foreveryone.foundation.