Tom Turner

Tom has an incredibly inspiring story of tenacious toughness. Please read! -Ben

What is your story?

I was born with Spina Bifida. It’s a birth defect where the spinal column fails to develop properly. It is where there is an incomplete closure of the embryonic neural tube. Some vertebra overlying the spinal cord are not fully formed and remain unfused and open.

I am paralyzed from the waist down. I use a wheel chair and leg braces to get around. I have had 19 operations, and having dodged that bullet I have been able to live a full life. I graduated from Victor High School in 1990 and Finger Lakes Community College. I work for my family business now, Turner Automotive based in Victor, New York.

After Graduating with an Associate’s Degree of Arts and Science in Humanities with a concentration in Broadcast Communications, I initially wanted to go into the radio business. I am good friends with the local radio personality, Brother Wheeze. However, that did not work out because it is a very competitive environment, and I neither had the time nor inclination to pursue it. My father asked me to join the family business, and the rest is history... here I am!

How do you define success?

Success to me is being respected by and respecting people. Knowing that at the end of the day I gave my best, whether it is in the work environment or dealing with my family or my friends. I can go to bed at night satisfied knowing that I have the respect and love of my friends and family.

What was going through your mind once you got to your 19th surgery?

“How do I get through this?” I worried about my family. Once you get to that point, you do whatever it takes, whatever is needed to get through. You go into survival mode. The last surgery I had was in 1998.

If you could give any words of advice to all of Western NY, what would it be?

Be tenacious. No matter what you want to do, go after it and be tenacious. Seize every opportunity that you can, realize that within reason, there is nothing you can’t do. I have realized the importance of tenacity after overcoming so many obstacles. You need to get out there every morning and realize what you need to do to get the job done.

What is the toughest part of having Spina Bifida?

The toughest part is time. Time management on a daily basis is a huge issue that I have to deal with every day. I have big mobility issues. Plus, going to the bathroom and things of that nature is challenging. At the end of the day, it all works out as long as you plan ahead and make time for things.

I wear leg braces and have to stand for forty minutes at a time because I am prone to skin breakdown. I am dealing with a skin issue right now, so I have to stand at 2pm every day, and walk around in my braces.

What kind of support structure do you have?

My Family. As you well know, family is my rock of Gibraltar. My mom, Donna, father, Bill, and sister, Laura. We are an army.

What do you do in your free time?

Go to the races. I am a gear head. Every Saturday we pile in the van and go off to Canandaigua Speedway. We support number 99, Charlie Donk, from Macedon. We go to Watkins Glen every year. We also watch the Nextel Cup or NAHH drag racing on TV on the weekends. It has been a huge part of my life since I was 3 years old. We also work on race cars together. All of our friends are involved in motor sports somehow. It is a common ground for my father and I, and we do our male bonding over cars. Some people go to country clubs like Oak Hill. We go to the races. That is our country club.

What is your favorite part of Western NY

The medical care. From my perspective, being an individual with a disability, there are great doctors at the University of Rochester and a really great support system. There is the Greater Rochester Spina Bifida Association. There are certain things that can be better in Rochester medical care, but by and large, Rochester has a great support system for the disabled.

There are a lot of special people at the U of R. They have saved my life a couple of times, getting me out of some pretty tricky situations. They have been wonderful to me and my family. I have made it 38 years!

What inspires you?

The movie Murderball. Everyone should watch it just once. That for me is my bible. It is the most inspirational movie I have ever seen. Two years ago, I got to meet one of the stars from it, Mark Zupan. He was one of the players on team USA. Talk about an inspirational story.

Mark used to be able bodied and played soccer for college. His team won a championship and were out celebrating one night. They got drunk, he crawled into the back of his buddy’s pickup truck and passed out. His buddy got in the truck and drove off not knowing Mark was in the back. The truck skidded off the road and flipped into a river, throwing Mark out of the truck. Mark broke his neck. The guy that was driving the truck took off, not knowing that this happened. Mark hung to a branch for 14 hours until help arrived.

You want to talk about inspiration, see those folks in Murderball.

A favorite book of mine is called "Love is the Killer App.” It is a motivational book that teaches you how to apply love into the business world with your co-workers and your clients.

Who are inspirational figures in the community for you?

Joanne Armstrong is one. She also has Spina Bifida. She does a lot with wheelchair athletics. She embodies what a leader is. She is a no nonsense kind of person. I have known her all of my life and have come to admire her a great deal. For the most part, she is a very strong figure with a great pretense. She is a great friend.

How many people in the United States have Spina Bifida?

The Spina Bifida Association of America estimates that there are over 70,000 cases. Some contend that it occurs due to a lack of folic acid in the mother. There has been a big campaign to increase folic acid in mothers, to try to stop spinal bifida.

Tell me about your work in the business.

I do all of our E-Commerce and eBay stuff. I buy and sell parts on the internet, and work on the website, (http://www.turnerautomotive.com). I do a lot of fill-in work...whatever is needed. I really enjoy Customer Relations.

What is the most enjoyable part of the job?

The people. I have met a lot of friends. Every day you seem to meet someone new from a different background. You deal with people all over the world. I am working with my family and friends. We have three guys in the shop and one salesman and they are some of my best friends. That is a blessing to me. Every day is recess!

How do you like working in the family business?

I love it. It is like American choppers but we do it ten times worse. My dad, Bill, founded the company. My sister Laura is in there as well. She does the books. It is great to work with them.

You need to have a lot of patience when working in a family business. Patience, Patience, Patience. Just agree a lot. Say: “Yes sir, no sir.” If you are in the right, you need to express your opinion, but sometimes, you need to take the path of least resistance and just agree.

What advice would you give to people with Spina Bifida?

Tenacity is the key. Get up every morning. Try to live the best productive life you possibly can within the confines of your disability. You have to be realistic, brutally realistic about your situation. Once you are realistic, you can deal with it. Right now I am dealing with a skin issue and had to spend part of the day in bed, just because that’s required. I brought all of my work home and worked from my laptop.

You have to be adaptable. Adaptability will take you very far. You don’t know what is going to happen from one minute to the next, with your job or with your health. You have to adapt, just plain and simple.

If you could do anything, what would you do?

I have always wanted to ride in a Winston cup car. Beyond that, I want to stay in the family business, and work on my father’s legacy. I am exceedingly proud of the work he has done, and I would like to continue on with the family tradition.

Any other thoughts you think our readers would benefit from?

People with disabilities are often very productive members of society. You watch the news at night and see the baby panda with a panda cub and then you have the disability story right afterwards. We are a much bigger story than that! We are not looking for a hug. Mark Zupan’s statement is; “I am not looking for a hug, I am looking for a medal.” I like hugs, don’t get me wrong, but I am looking to achieve.

Tom can be contacted by email at: vettman@rochester.rr.com