With the help of her speech therapist, Margaret tells us what she enjoys, like feeling the wind blowing through her hair, the warmth of the sun on her face, visiting with friends and family and meditating with friends in her home.  Her friends raised funds to purchase a handicapped accessible van and provide funds for her to do the things she loves to do, like the things pictured above, meditating, traveling to the water, visiting museums, and communicating with assistance.

Biography (for Photo Voices)

Born in 1984, Margaret Worthen lived for 22 years in Carolina, R.I. She enjoyed science experiments and writing, gymnastics and horseback riding, having bets and working at the South Kingstown Animal Shelter.  Her dream was to be fluent in Spanish, which she acheived by living for a year in Spain, and to become a veterinarian, which she was working on by taking all the required academic classes and gaining experience with animal care. After attending Smith College for four years, Margaret had a severe brain stem stroke a week before her graduation.  For the first 18 months after her stroke, she was diagnosed as being in a persistent vegetative state.  After participating in a Cornell and Columbia University research project, her diagnosis changed and the doctors discovered a way for her to say yes or no. She is now able to communicate using eye movement and is able to comprehend written and spoken communication.  She resides at the Neuro Rehabilitation Center in Middleboro, Massachusetts.  Her mother, Nancy Smith Worthen, took photographs to help tell Margaret's story.