Five years ago, an accident left Jeff Vining paralyzed from his chest down. A break between his sixth and seventh vertebrae rendered him a quadriplegic.
Through incredible faith and spirit, and the support of a loving family, he has not only learned to live with his handicap. He has learned to make a living - mowing lawns. But this is not a story about mowing lawns. Nor is it a story about Walker Mowers. It's a story about the triumph of human spirit and how an individual overcame incredible odds to "walk tall" in face of overwhelming obstacles.
Jeff Vining was an outdoors man almost by birthright. He spent little, if any, time indoors. He loved sports - there was hardly a sport in which he couldn't be competitive - and he owned his own business laying stone, a trade he had learned from his family while growing up in Griffin, Georgia.
In his words, "I used to do it all." The "all'' came to a sudden end four and one-half years ago when he was surfing in Florida. A wave crashed into Jeff's body, sending him paralyzed to the bottom. After two yells for help, he was pulled from the water, only to discover later what he feared at the time. The collision had broken his neck, leaving him paralyzed from the chest down. Later he would discover he had some movement in his arms and hands, but below his chest he was totally paralyzed. He had feeling, but no movement.
Jeff spent a total of five months in two hospitals healing from his injury and learning to live with his disability. "If the break had been a little higher, I would have been paralyzed from the neck down," he tells. "A little lower and I would have total use of my hand." As it was, Jeff was a quadriplegic and doctors gave his family little hope that he would be able to do little more than sit in a chair for the rest of his life .
But the doctors underestimated Jeff. His family equipped their home to accommodate a wheelchair and never gave up on their son. His mother's and father's eyes today tell the story - Jeff has made them proud.
Almost from the start, Jeff would not accept the grim prognosis. "I could sit in the chair and twiddle my thumbs, or make good with what I had," he tells. What he had, in addition to an injured body, was a mind that told him not to quit. He worked day and night for months on strengthening his muscles. Even back then, he wouldn't accept a "powered" wheelchair because it denied him an opportunity to get into better shape. Nor would he ultimately accept the constraints of any wheelchair- powered or otherwise.
After gaining back some strength and confidence, Jeff and his family toggled up a golf cart which he used in place of his wheel chair outdoors. With his territory broadened, he looked for other outside activities that would help strengthen his mind and body. The backyard provided part of the answer. If Jeff could rig up a mower so he could use it, he would try the unthinkable: to mow his yard. The Snapper rear-engine rider provided the other hall of the solution. The Vinings customized the mower with a bass-boat seat, replaced the foot clutch with a rod, and installed U-bolts on the steering wheel.
The first few outings were more than a little tough. One time, the mower even bounced Jeff off the seat onto the ground. A similar experience happened the first time Jeff went to the movie theater after the accident The wheelchair went out of control, tipping him onto terra ferma. In both cases, Jeff's response was the same. "Bring that over here and let's go." And go he did.
He was 27 at the time. His life had been turned upside down, and he had two options: either sit at home and do nothing, or try to do something. He opted for the latter, and pursued the mowing business that his parents owned. "Nobody wanted me to mow their lawns for them," he remembers.
"After all, would you want me mowing your lawn," he asked jokingly. So he actually mowed his neighbors' lawns while they weren't looking. His boldness earned him a handful of yards. "I couldn't charge a lot for mowing them," he relates. "But just having the opportunity was worth more than anything the money could buy."
Two years ago, a local funeral home gave Jeff his first real break when he won the bid for their two properties. That same year, he attended a landscaping exposition and discovered the Walker mower. "It was the only mower at the show I could slide right on," he tells.
Jeff’s parents purchased two used Walkers. He needed the second mower as a backup. With his two mowers, a trailer, and a van equipped so he could operate it, Jeff was truly in the mowing business. His logo was "Wheelin to Please," and please he did to the extent he would do almost any job.
"I would cut grass for free, because it's therapy," tells Jeff. "It stimulates my muscles." Mowing also stimulates his mind. He says he can get lost out there mowing, just thinking about ways he can improve and grow in the business. And when he's not mowing, Jeff explains just having the freedom to get outside and mow allows him to better accept his wheelchair.
Getting the Job Done
Jeff refers to his Walker as a wheelchair equipped with a 16-hp Kohler engine and a 42-inch mowing deck. Once on its seat, Jeff can mow with the best of them. Getting to the site and getting back home provides the biggest obstacles, yet Jeff has overcome them. Just like he has overcome other challenges.
His biggest frustration, he tells, is employees. "When you can walk, your employees are no better than you. When you're in a chair, you're no better than your employees." Jeff needs one able-bodied employee to unload the Walker, do the trimming and blowing, help him change decks if he needs to and to reload the trailer. If he's mowing with his catching deck, he also will need some help to dump the unit. Beyond that, he is self-sufficient.
Always subscribing to the motto, "Do as much as you can possibly do," Jeff is constantly thinking of ways to cut down on his dependence.
At the site, he says he will eventually develop and run a weed trimmer off the mower's PTO and turn one of his units into a blower. Since he can't sweat, Jeff also needs access to a water hose to help keep his body temperature down. He's equipping his next Walker with a water tank, so he can spray himself down on the go.
At home, he explains there are any number of ways to use the mower as an outside wheelchair. He's even thinking about configuring a rabbit run and hunting off his Walker.
"The Walker is my way of life," he emphasizes. “There's no place I can't go with it, and I'm as comfortable on the Walker as I am in the wheelchair."
Future Plans
Down the road, Jeff is looking to fulfill two immediate dreams. He wants to get the business so it is profitable. "It takes most new businesses five years to make a profit," he relates. "It will take me a little longer." And, he wants to help other people in "chairs."
To that end, Jeff and his family are developing 65 acres of land nearby where, in addition to a home, they will construct a training center. Among other things, Jeff wants to start a repair facility where he can turn his ideas into reality. He also wants to share his knowledge about mowers and teach peers how to repair them. More importantly, he wants to develop a facility that will teach peers how to make it on their own, to give them the strength and ability to see there is life beyond the "chair."
There really are not enough words to describe Jeff and his family, and their attitude toward life. One innocent comment from Jeff sums it up fairly well, however. Says Jeff, "I'd rather be depressed that my equipment is broken down, than be depressed about life."
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