#WRECares – Sabrina Cohen, Founder of the Sabrina Cohen Foundation, Quadriplegic, & Disability Activists Speaks Up About Being #atRISK With COVID-19
Sabrina Cohen, Founder of the Sabrina Cohen Foundation, quadriplegic and disability activists speaks up about being #atRISK with COVID-19.
Sabrina Cohen is the Founder / President of the Sabrina Cohen Foundation. Born and raised in Miami Beach, Florida, Sabrina endured a severe C3-5 spinal cord injury in 1992 at the age of 14 from a car accident. For Sabrina, her life changed in an instant, when she hopped into the backseat of a car with some friends. She thought she was getting a ride to an event, but the teenage driver started drag racing and the car slammed into a tree. The car was demolished and Sabrina’s spine was severely damaged. She has been confined to a wheelchair ever since.
In the early days, despite the daily challenges and fears, Sabrina was determined to never let her injury get the better of her. After a long recovery, she graduated high school on time with the rest of her class. She visited schools to talk about her new life with paralysis, urging and inspiring young students to drive carefully. In 1999, Sabrina graduated from the University of Miami with a degree in Communications, double majoring in Advertising and Psychology. She holds a post-graduate degree in Copywriting from the Miami Ad School, and founded her own advertising company, SabCo Productions, in 2003.
In April 2004, Sabrina unexpectedly discovered the world of stem cell research through Bernard Siegel, the founder of the Genetics Policy Institute (GPI), a leading nonprofit organization dedicated to establishing a legal framework to advance stem cell research. She then shifted her endeavors to support the cause through her creative skills by becoming the Director of Public Relations for GPI. In 2006, she established the Sabrina Cohen Foundation (SCF) to educate the public about the cause and raise funds for research. In 2012, SCF introduced quality of life initiatives focused on adaptive fitness and recreation programs to its mission.
Today, the Sabrina Cohen Foundation is running a campaign to build our nations first of a kind Adaptive Recreation Center to provide year-round beach access and fitness programs to the disabled community, designed by Kobi Karp Architects in partnership with the City of Miami Beach.
Sabrina has advocated extensively for research and quality of life health initiatives since then. She appeared in the first ever US political commercial for stem cell research supporting a Floridian Congressman and has been linked to many political figures, including fellow stem cell advocate Michael J. Fox. She is presently on the Advisory Board of the Genetics Policy Institute and has traveled nationwide with the organization to attend educational and scientific conferences, including the World Stem Cell Summit at the University of Wisconsin, Harvard University, Stanford University, Baylor College of Medicine at the University of Texas, University of Michigan and at the United Nations. Sabrina’s media coverage as the Foundation’s spokesperson includes interviews with CNN, NBC, FOX, CBS, ABC, CNN Headline News, Good Morning America, Deco Drive, NPR, Jim Defede Show, WebMD Magazine (nominated a 2009 American Health Hero), The Miami Herald, Ocean Drive Magazine, Self Magazine, Sun-Sentinel and the Wall Street Journal. As a Professional Life Coach, Motivational Speaker and Disabled Advocate, Sabrina continuously enjoys taking the time to talk one-on-one with individuals, businesses, community groups, and students at schools and universities. In 2016, Sabrina created Sabrina Cohen Living by becoming a real estate agent, joining Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate in Miami Beach, ready to assist any client, at any time, with all their special needs to find their dream homes with proper accommodations.
To learn more about Sabrina Cohen visit http://sabrinacohenfoundation.org and https://sabrinasadaptivebeach.com.
