Eugene Tejada spent the first part of his career as a bench player for the Alaska Aces, having been drafted in the 2003 rookie class of the PBA draft. He got his big break in 2006 with the Purefoods Chunkee Giants, where he became a candidate for Most Improved Player of the year.

His life changed because of a freak accident on a Mother’s Day game in 2006, when he fractured his c5-c6 neck vertebrae and became paralyzed from the neck down. In his upcoming book, Ready to Rise: From Paralysis to Liberation, Eugene shares his inspiring journey after the accident, with an emphasis in finding his identity along the way.

Follow Eugene Tejada:

Instagram: @eugenetejada33

Ready To Rise book: @readytorise33