Five-time amateur bodybuilder, Shannon Chisholm, is getting ready to take on her sixth event and her first as a paraplegic.

When biking home on Hendersonville Road last summer, Shannon was struck by a car and left paralyzed.  Also a mother of two, she came home from the hospital having been told she would be in a wheelchair for the rest of her life.  In a recent article Shannon told the Asheville Citizen-Times that she remembered little of the actual accident and mainly “[waking] up in the hospital two days later [and] I realized I couldn’t move my legs…I realized at that time what challenges I would face, not only physical, but emotional and psychological.”

Regardless, Shannon remains fearless in the face of challenge, with an attitude that continues only to look forward as she prepares to continue bodybuilding as a paraplegic.  This weekend alongside friends Shannon has organized the Chisholm Champion Challenge, a multi-day fitness event on January 27 and 28 at eight different fitness venues around Asheville.  “We decided to get the word out that no matter what challenges you face in life, that it’s important to live well and live a healthy life and take care of yourself and never give up,” Chisholm said.  The event aims to help Shannon with her high medical bills as a result of the accident, as well as to raise awareness about fitness and to help Asheville residents in their pursuit of health and wellness.

With the purchase of a $10 wristband adorned with the words “Never Give Up,” participants can partake in a variety of fitness events at well-known fitness venues (more…)