Marilyn Noell looks back over the past forty-three years of her life as a quadriplegic. Her struggles have been many - fear, depression, surgery, learning to use what "moving parts" remained after her diving accident when she was just nineteen. But perhaps her toughest challenge has been to be and be seen as a useful, active individual.

Marilyn Noell succeeded in living a full and independent life, both professionally and personally, in an era when the disabled were often shut up in insitutions for life. Now in retirement, she continues to serve on commitees that seek improved accessiblity and transportation for the disabled. She also tends her award-winning garden at her house where she has lived independently for years.