Lauren Shevchek, a Model of Perseverance

I'd be willing to bet that if you had told Lauren back in 2013 that she would be a model, she would have figured it would be modeling swimsuits for swim teams. Lauren has been a competitive swimmer since the age of six and as a freshman at Penn State she was a member of the water polo team.

But in June of 2013 she had a diving accident that left her as a quadriplegic. She dove into a pool where it was difficult to see the bottom, one that had a black bottom. But Lauren has not let her situation get the best of her. While she had to drop out of Penn State to focus on her recovery (more on that in a bit), she has become a spokeswoman for diving safety and awareness. As she says in her PSA ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTNIPeRV2N8 ), "If you can't see through it, don't dive into it."

She dropped out of Penn State to focus on her recovery, a recovery that some said would not be likely. But she has persevered and made remarkable progress. She has recovered some fine motor control with her left hand. Lauren is now able to take some steps on her own while putting most of her weight on her feet.

However most of the cost of her therapy is not covered by insurance and she and her family must do fundraising to help offset the cost. And that brings us to the Better Display Cases connection.

As we posted on Facebook earlier this week, Lauren and her family had an auction for a pair of game worn, signed shoes by Philadelphia Eagle Zach Ertz that were in a display case we donated.

If you would like to learn more about her and follow her progress, check out her Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/StayStrongShev/

If you're motivated to contribute to her recovery, you can go to
https://helphopelive.org/campaign/3452/