It’s My Assignment, not My Punishment with Vincent Rutley
HIS STORY INSPIRED ME. HIS FAITH ENCOURAGED ME.
On November 2, 2011, Vincent Rutley, actor, playwright and musician, survived a near fatal accident that severed his spinal cord. Diagnosed as a paraplegic with traumatic brain damage, the doctors prepared him for the worst by telling him he would never move his arms or legs again. He viewed this tragedy as an “Assignment” not a “Punishment”.
Vincent Rutley comes from a strong family of faith, and has a strong personal relationship with God, so in the doctor’s report didn’t deter them from expecting the best. Believing that God would perform a miracle, Vincent began his journey of recovery. It was a few weeks after his surgery, that the miracles began. Feeling and slight movement in his right arm, became a full range of motion. Later, his left arm and wrist became functional.
In 2014 Vincent returned to the stage play production “Street Corner “which he wrote, produces and starred in, from his wheelchair. “Your disability doesn’t change the fact that God made you, YOU! The journey may be 10 times tough, but you can fulfill your wildest dreams. The car accident didn’t paralyze my love for acting. I didn’t lose my love for acting because I use a wheelchair now.
Vincent doesn’t deny the reality of the challenges that come with his spinal cord injury, but he refuses to let it dictate the quality of his life. He has learned to lean on his support system, spearheaded by his wife, who he was engaged to at the time of the accident. His goal is to become the most sought-after quadriplegic actor in the business.
Thirteen years after the accident, Vincent Rutley still believes that God will work a miracle and he will walk again. In the meantime, he is committed to living life to the fullest.