Gene Dalton | The Roanoke Times

Radford University graduate Chris Skinner was paralyzed from the neck down in a car crash and is now a motivational speaker.

RADFORD -- Six years after Chris Skinner's neck was broken, his urge to help others is intact.

Despite extensive paralysis, he got his master's degree from Radford University last month and is learning to lead group substance-abuse counseling sessions as an intern at New Life Recovery Center.

"I'm all about turning a negative into a positive," Skinner said. "When someone is struggling with alcohol or drugs, I look at them and I see myself."

A native of Nags Head, N.C., Skinner enrolled at Radford in 1997. He partied too much and was suspended, with a 0.8 GPA, his third semester.

By 2000 he was getting his act together, somewhat, getting B's at New River Community College. But Skinner was still drinking too much and doing drugs.

Then came the accident.

Turning his life around

Shortly after 1 a.m. June 11, 2000, Skinner got into a car his friend planned to drive a short distance. Both were drunk. His friend swerved to avoid a deer.

"I heard a really loud crash," Skinner said. "The next thing I knew, I was in a ditch with the car 10 feet away, upside down, the wheels spinning.

"I could still hear the radio. My legs looked like they were sideways. I had blood in my mouth, and I couldn't move my arms to wipe it."

At the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville, Skinner came to grips with his situation with help from Robin Clark, who counsels patients at several hospitals and has used a wheelchair since 1972.

"You could see he had a lot of energy, he just didn't know which way to direct it," Clark said. "He's done real well, and I'm proud."

Skinner, who in his own words lacked goals during his first stint at Radford, channeled his energy into helping others.

He re-enrolled at the university in 2001. While working toward his undergraduate degree in communications, Skinner started telling his story to students. Since then he has appeared at more than 70 schools and a dozen colleges.

He also started a nonprofit, The Chris Skinner Organization, and hopes to establish a scholarship for students who have done well after going through Radford's academic disciplinary program.

"It's hard to say this, but you almost have to have been there to know what it's like to be academic failure or have a substance abuse issue to help others who have such problems," said Mike Dunn, Radford's director of new student programs. "When he delivers those messages, it's hard not to listen."

National recognition

Skinner was one of 77 to make the semifinal round of a contest by the Energizer battery company to find a first inductee for its Keep Going Hall of Fame at company headquarters in St. Louis. More than 1,200 people were nominated. Skinner was not among the 10 finalists announced Thursday.

In his daily life, and in getting his master's degree, he has taken advantage of technology that allows him a degree of independence. Still, it took Skinner four years to earn his advanced degree, twice as long as is typical.

Skinner works on a computer equipped with speech recognition software, opens doors in his house by pushing buttons on his wheelchair and drives a specially equipped van (license plate WEELZ7).

But he needs assistance for seemingly simple tasks, such as getting dressed, washing and eating. With only limited use of his arms, unable to unclench his fingers, Skinner had to borrow notes from classmates, which put him at a disadvantage because what they jotted down was not necessarily what he would have written.

'Not a day goes by'

Skinner and the driver, George Baker Jr. of Chesapeake, stayed in touch after the accident but have not talked since Skinner's wedding, which Baker attended in January 2004. Each said he continues to struggle with the urge for alcohol. Baker said he has not driven drunk since the crash.

"Not a day goes by that I don't think about it," he said.

Like Skinner, Baker said the accident led him to revisit his priorities. He, too, had partied hard at Radford and was no longer there at the time of the crash.

Since the accident, Baker has finished an engineering degree at Old Dominion University, gotten married and had two sons. He works at Norfolk Naval Shipyard.

Baker said he takes pride in being a good father and husband but believes Skinner has "done 100 percent more with his life than me."

Skinner has several different motivational presentations, depending on the audience.

When speaking at public schools like Radford, he does not highlight the importance of religion in his life. He reconnected with his faith after meeting Suzie Jefferis, who is now his wife.

Suzie Skinner said she fell in love with Chris Skinner's honesty and sense of humor.

"He likes to have fun with life," she said. "Plus, I was attracted to him."

Chris Skinner has lost 70 pounds since the crash. Muscle atrophy is largely to blame, but he has also had significant digestive problems this year.

Though Skinner can seem relentlessly positive, there are those times when his health is bad, or the challenge he faces seems too much, and he has to use all his motivational ability on himself.

"Sometimes, to be honest, I don't want to get out of bed," he said.

"That's when my faith in the Lord hits me and I feel motivated and grit my teeth. I think of it as a selflessness. If I can't do it for myself, [I] do it for whoever needs to come in contact with me today, whoever needs to hear my story."

On the Web: www.ChrisSkinner.org