The Boulder Beer Barn Bash was our fundraiser event for 2023. All funds raised went support our courageous riders, the care for our horses, and our ability to provide life-changing services to those in need.

Below, please find the speech from our keynote speaker, rider and Ms. Wheelchair Colorado winner Jennifer Ochs, as well as photos from the event. 

Once again, thank you. Your donation changes lives.

Hello, my name is Jennifer Ochs and I’m so honored to be asked to be tonight’s keynote speaker. A few
years ago, I was the adult rider of the year but my speech was difficult to understand so my instructor,
Annette Gruba, read my speech while I sat next to her. It’s pretty cool that now I can speak for myself.
CTRC has really been essential to my rehabilitation. Not only is riding great for strengthening my body
but it gave me confidence and the Center included me in a way that hadn’t happened since before my
illness.

In 2010, I was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, known as AML. My doctor told me that I would
need to have a bone marrow transplant to keep the leukemia from coming back. I had my first bone
marrow transplant in 2012. However, I relapsed in July 2013. My relapse presented as total organ
failure. I was in Buffalo, NY, visiting my ex in-laws at the time. I was so sick that doctors wouldn’t move
me so I was treated at Roswell Park Hospital in Buffalo. Once my body was strong enough, I had my
second bone marrow transplant. To prepare for the transplant, I was given high doses of chemotherapy.
I woke up in the night to use the restroom and I collapsed. The strong chemo had given me cerebeller
ataxia, which destroyed all my motor skills, my balance and my speech became incomprehensible. It was
definitely scary. The doctor and nurses told me it would wash out of my system in 24-48 hours but it
never did.

I was able to go ahead with the second transplant but it caused a mysterious problem with my
breathing. The doctors decided to put me in a medically induced coma while they worked on my lungs. I
was in the coma for the month of January 2014. Doctors were not able to wake me from the coma and
told my family to come to Buffalo to say their final goodbyes. Luckily, I eventually woke up but my
muscles had atrophied from not moving. A tracheotomy was performed while in the coma, so I couldn’t
speak. I was alive but unable to move or speak.

I ended up staying in the hospital for nine months and then was released but required to stay in Buffalo
for a year working with physical, speech and occupational therapists while going to weekly doctor
appointments as the doctors followed my rehabilitation. I had to relearn everything. I now depended on
a feeding tube for all nutrition as I had lost my ability to swallow. Unfortunately, I had horrible palsy at
the time, which made feeding myself impossible. In 2016, I moved from South Carolina to Colorado
because my ex husband couldn’t take care of me. My mother and stepdad, Kim and Mike Lomas, took
me in and their caring love allowed me to thrive. I attended therapies in Boulder, three times a week
and found new doctors in Denver to track my recovery. Having a bone marrow transplant is like having
an oil change for your car. Your body is drained of the diseased marrow and replaced with donor
marrow. Once the body is strong enough all vaccinations must be redone.

Eventually, I moved to a nursing home in Boulder in the spring of 2018. Miraculously, I was moved into
my own apartment and learned about independent living by the end of 2018. If you would have told me
or my family that I would eventually live independently, we would have laughed in your face. At the age
of 33, I thought my life was over. Through therapy and independent living skills education I learned that
my life wasn’t over, just altered. I now have a direct care worker who visits five days a week to do
laundry, housework and various tasks that I cannot do by myself. My direct care worker only comes for 8

hours a week but the rest of time living alone has taught me to be as self sufficient as possible. I feel like
every day I find that I can do something that I couldn’t do before, which has caused my motto to be,
“you are more capable than you think”.

I started riding at CTRC in 2016, after my cousin, Robyn Morgan, introduced me to the program. Robyn
was already volunteering there and became my side walker and would transport me to weekly lessons. I
was first started on a saddle with a T-bar to hold on to. I then graduated to reins with handles, which
were created at CTRC, which was cool because my instructor really adapted the
equipment to best suit me. I have now learned to control my horse with regular reins, vocal commands
and physical movements. I’m so thankful to CTRC for bringing the joy of horses into my life. People
always say that my smile is biggest when I’m on a horse. Riding gave me legs again and reminded me
just how sweet freedom is.

I applied for Ms. Wheelchair America in December 2022. In January 2023, I was named Ms. Wheelchair
Colorado. Ms. Wheelchair America is not a beauty pageant, instead it is an advocacy competition. The
organization is meant to empower women in wheelchairs and celebrate their daily accomplishments
while providing disability education and advocacy. It took 10 years, but I finally feel like myself again. My
life didn’t turn out as I had planned but I’m happy to say that I’m finally proud of myself and I am
hopeful and look forward to the future. I’m happy to say that I have now lived on my own for over four
years. I’m in remission and feel like my life has become more than doctors appointments, therapy and
bad news. My recovery has awoken a passion for disability advocacy and education of disability to able
bodied individuals. I have finally found my calling. If I can leave you with one message, it would be to
never give up on yourself. Determination and a positive perspective will pull you through any hard times
that you may face. Always remember that you are more capable than you know.