Post by Shepherd Center

“Being a dad is so special to me after my injury. So many things I took for granted. I try to enjoy more of the little things and the times we have together.” Travis Daniel says he tries to stay present as a father after his injury. “Just being outside with my kids playing means the world to me. It’s a reminder of how blessed I am.” In February 2022, Travis sustained a C7 spinal cord injury after a snowboarding accident in North Carolina. Now, the father of three was suddenly faced with a new reality he couldn't have predicted. “The hardest thing was coming to terms that I would spend my life now in a wheelchair,” he says. “And I never wanted my kids to think I was weak.” That sentence holds the kind of quiet honesty that many dads carry. The unspoken pressure to be the steady one. The strong one. The one who fixes things. But Shepherd helped Travis see something different: that strength doesn’t disappear when life changes shape. Sometimes, strength simply learns a new way to show up. “Shepherd helped me see that life was far from over and I can still be very much involved in my kids’ lives with sports and activities.” Travis’s family life is still active and full. Barn life, farm life, dog life, school runs, practices, church, travel, and the everyday logistics all show a family that refuses to let a spinal cord injury shrink their world. For Father’s Day, it’s easy to celebrate the big gestures: the trips, the gifts, the grand moments. But Travis will tell you the real gold is smaller. Cherish the small things. Stay humble. Hope doesn’t always arrive as a miracle moment. Sometimes hope looks like a catch. A cheer from the sidelines that no longer feel like sidelines. A dad in the middle, surrounded by his kids, exactly where he belongs. Hope is here, and for Travis, it shows up in the people who call him dad. #FathersDay #Fatherhood #HopeIsHere #ShepherdCenter