Abby Stephens

Abby Stephens was raised in small town USA: Cokeville, Wyoming. She went to high school there, where she was active as a cheerleader, choreographer for the dance team, performed in the musical productions, played in the band, jazz band, show choir, and graduated as Salutatorian of her class. (You can do all of that only in a small town!)

She then attended BYU, where she was a Musical Dance Theater Major. She performed in the live theater in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and many other plays and musicals.

She met and dated Cole and they planned to be married on June 28th, 1996. But just one week prior, on June 21st, they were in an accident that left Abby paralyzed from the neck down. She was taken by Life Flight to the U of U Hospital, where the doctors told Cole and her family that she would never walk again! They said she was a complete quadriplegic and would depend on a ventilator to breathe, and would probably live only a few years, due to complications of the injury.

What happened then can only be called a miracle! Abby told everyone she would walk again, and that she would walk out of the hospital! Her faith and determination were unwavering, and in three months' time, not only did she learn to walk again, but she DID walk out of the hospital!

Abby has been sharing her story ever since then, inspiring others to keep a positive attitude and find the good in every situation. Her humorous approach to life and her disabilities will captivate the audience, as she shares what it's like to be a mom with only one good arm. Or how she has learned to accept change and find new and different ways to accomplish what most people think are simple everyday tasks, like changing diapers, making dinner, or lifting...well...anything!

Abby loves to sing and continues to pursue that dream. She loves being a wife and mother of four and ironically enough, the "one-armed mom" had twins! Never a dull moment in her life!!