About Us

As a 56-year-old C5-C6 quadriplegic woman and Syracuse native, she is happily married to her husband, Xavier, of 37 years. They are a family of 5, with sons Nick and Diego, a loved bonus son, Riley, and 3 adored dogs, still at home, and her family life is a joy.  Her passion for serving others is a big part of her life. In 2007, Judy served as President for five years on the board of directors for the Mom’s Babysitting co-op, where she provided invaluable support to mothers and young children. She also spent three years as a consumer representative for the Maxim Healthcare CNY regional office, helping to bridge the gap between healthcare providers and consumers. When Judy is not focused on her work with the Syracuse Spinal Association (SSA), you can find her enjoying time with her family. She loves their family dinners, picnics, and camping trips, especially to her cherished spot, “Camp Bailey.” It’s a place where she enjoys precious time around a fire with friends. Judy also loves new experiences after her injury, which have included skydiving tandem from 14,000 feet, attending many music festivals and concerts, and traveling with her family to Washington D.C. and Virginia. Judy’s newest favorite pastime is water coloring. As a quadriplegic, she’s especially proud to have discovered she’s quite good at it!

First, thank you for visiting the Syracuse Spinal Association website. I hope you find it helpful in your search for advocacy, resources, ideas—and most importantly—connection with people who truly understand what life with a spinal cord injury is all about.

Let me introduce myself:
My name is Cherie Chabot. I discovered SSA by chance in 2024, and I instantly connected with the amazing community here. In November 2024, I was honored to be asked to serve as the Board Vice President—an opportunity I couldn’t pass up!

My journey began at 19, just five months into my airline career, when I was in a car accident that left me with a T10–11 spinal cord injury. After rehab, I returned to work, determined not to let the injury define my future.

In 1987, I married my wonderful husband, and in 1999, we welcomed our beautiful daughter. Life has had its bumps along the way, but I’ve always done my best to move forward with a positive attitude.

What motivates me most is helping others facing the same challenges I’ve experienced over the past 42 years. I love volunteering my time, sharing information, and being an advocate for anyone in need.

Outside of advocacy, I enjoy spending time with my family, relaxing by the ocean, and playing with our chocolate lab!

Connor McGough grew up in Port Leyden, a small town in upstate New York. After high school, Connor attended the Rochester Institute of Technology where he studied graphic and industrial design. During the summer of 2009, while living in the Adirondacks in-between his junior and senior year of college, Connor suffered a devastating diving accident that left him with a C5-C6 complete spinal cord injury. He completed 6-months of inpatient/outpatient rehabilitation directly after his accident at Magee Spinal Rehabilitation in Philadelphia, PA. Since that time, Connor has gone on to finish his bachelors in design, worked as an adjunct instructor at RIT and Syracuse University’s School of Design, and is currently the Program Director of ARISE Adaptive Design, an innovative program in Syracuse that builds custom adaptive equipment for individuals with disabilities. In his free time, Connor enjoys adaptive kayaking, skiing, being out in nature (especially with his dog), and hanging with family and friends. In the past, Connor has also enjoyed adaptive cycling, water skiing, curling and wheelchair rugby.

Adrian was born and raised in Syracuse, NY. She attended the University at Albany for her Bachelor’s degree in Biology, and then returned to graduate school at Sage College to obtain her Doctorate of Physical Therapy in 2009. After working as a traveling physical therapist and living in Chicago, Las Vegas, and Denver, she returned to Syracuse in 2017 to be closer to family. Adrian started working for Upstate Medical University at that time as a physical therapist in the acute setting, and has since transitioned to working in the outpatient neuro setting.. It was in 2018 that she was introduced to the spinal cord injury support group, now known as Syracuse Spinal Association. Adrian has remained an active participant throughout the past 7 years, providing any knowledge she can offer, and gaining even more knowledge from the members and her patients with SCI. During her time at Upstate, she has become a Board Certified Neurologic Specilaist, and has obtained and maintained her Brain Injury Specialist Certification. She specializes in treating individuals with various neuro diagnoses, including spinal cord injury. When she is not working, Adrian enjoys spending time with her mom, her almost 3 year old toddler, and her pug-shar pei mix, George. She especially enjoys being in the outdoors, kayaking, hiking, skiing, rock climbing, paddle boarding, and making as many trips to the Adirondacks as possible.

Lindsay grew up in the foothills of the Adirondacks in Remsen, New York. She is a licensed special education and elementary education teacher. Lindsay has also been a personal care aid for an individual with a spinal cord injury for the past almost 5 years. Before working with an individual with spinal cord injuries, she spent 10+ years before this working with individuals with all different disabilities. Lindsay is also currently working on her masters degree in library science at the University at Albany. When Lindsay is not working or doing schoolwork, she enjoys reading and spending time with friends and family. Growing up so close to the Adirondacks she spent most of her summers up at her family camp on the Fulton chain of lakes. In the summers, she enjoys hiking, paddle boarding, and kayaking, and spending time as much as she can outside. In the winter Lindsay enjoys downhill skiing. Along with spending time with family and friends at different concerts and events Lindsay also likes to spend time trailing once she is done with school she plans to spend more time going to different places.

I’m Josh Virgil. I have been quadriplegic since 1998. I reside in Fabius with my beautiful wife Betty and our cat and dog. I am the proud stepparent of Jessica and James and a grandpa to three wonderful grandchildren.

I was in a single car accident and suffered a C6-7 spinal cord injury. Prior to my car accident I was a three-sport athlete in high school and had recently come home from college due to a death in the family and a path that was leading to a non-productive future.

Since my accident I have been an assistant coach in the Fabius-Pompey School District for Boys’ Baseball, Boys’ Soccer and Boys’ Basketball. Most recently I have also coached Girl’s Basketball. In 2022 Governor Kathy Hochul signed a bill that allowed a Head Coach to be someone in a wheelchair if there is an assistant who can perform CPR and First Aid. This was a huge win for the disabled community. This is something that I had been advocating for, for numerous years. Thus, it led to me to proudly coach the Fabius -Pompey Girls JV softball in 2023 with my father as my assistant coach,.

My involvement is SSA began before it was an established organization with meetings being led by Oliva, a Physical Therapist and Adrian a Physical Therapist. Their idea was to build a support community for spinal cord injury patients. This turned into the 501(c)3 organization that is the SYRACUSE SPINAL ASSOCIATION. Since organization I have been in the role as a Board Member. This organization has been a vital resource of friendship and knowledge to me. I am proud to be a Board Member of this organization.