Jessica Krugers beauty is distracting as the 21-year-old with wavy blond locks and a hot pink pout opens the door of her Maillardville home.
The BC wheelchair rugby athlete, who has just been chosen as the ambassador of Lise Watiers Something Sweet perfume line, is squashing stereotypes with every move she makes.
Shes about to become one of the worlds first quadriplegic models.
I think the goal is to change societys perception of what people with disabilities are capable of doing, says Kruger of her application.
Kruger purposely made sure you could see her signature pink wheelchair in the photo she submitted for the contest. The winner was determined by online voting.
Six years ago, Kruger was 15 and earning spending money by painting houses.
While standing on the second storey of a house, she suddenly blacked out and fell 20 feet to the ground below. She awoke to the sounds of panicked screams and the sirens of the ambulance coming to take her to the hospital.
Kruger spent five months recovering from her accident at GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre in Vancouver. Afterwards, she was an outpatient for another five months, during which time she was introduced to wheelchair sports.
The one-time basketball and softball athlete couldnt fathom playing competitive sports again. And because of the nature of her injury Kruger broke her neck in four places and damaged her spine in three spots she knew that playing basketball was out of the question.
In the end, it was wheelchair rugby that resonated with Kruger.
Honestly, its just an incredible community of people, she says. And I like the contact aspect of it.
Wheelchair rugby which also goes by the moniker murderball is played on a regulation basketball court. Players score points by wheeling with the ball past cones in the end zone. One of the obstacles in the sport is having to dribble the ball every 10 seconds.
Kruger is currently the only female and youngest player on the coed, provincial wheelchair rugby team. She plays on the development team, which placed fourth during the national championships in May.
The sport has afforded Kruger the ability to travel, something else she thought she could never do again. A year after the accident, Kruger and her sister Leah went on an African safari.
It was pretty incredible, says Kruger of that adventure. I was excited to see anything was possible.
Rugby and vacations were a welcome distraction for Kruger after the accident. The long-term challenges she would face didnt really hit home until year three of her recovery.
I definitely went through a denial stage, recalls Kruger. I really struggled. There were recurrent health issues that were super frustrating.
Today Kruger exudes positivity.
I think my accident has opened more doors than I ever had before, she says.
She is a speaker for WorkSafeBC, educating the public on workplace safety. She has also just started working with the Rick Hansen Foundation and admires and draws strength from the Man in Motion.
A fourth-year Simon Fraser University English Literature major, she also has plans to become a teacher.
