■ 18 May 2012 | 9:15 AM
Beau Cowan's "Trapped then Freed" Image is an Inspiration to us all!
In 1990, I had the pleasure of meeting a very special and inspirational young man, Mr. Beau Cowan. At the time he was only 8 years old but he was still sort of a hero to me. There was something incredible about Beau from the very early stages of his life; his POSITIVE ATTITUDE. Even way back then he was always super positive and happy despite the fact that he was confined to a wheelchair. Although Beau was aware of his situation, he always took the time to make jokes and laugh about everything. What a true rarity! In this day and age, while I am constantly reading other peoples’ negative status updates on their Facebook page and while watching negative gossip shows on TV, Beau Cowan, a 29 year old man with Cerebral Palsy cracks me up with his rich sense of humor and larger-than-life personality. I am lucky to call Beau and his wonderful family my friends so it is no surprise that I enthusiastically said YES when Beau asked me to help him complete his artistic vision of a very powerful image that he calls, “Trapped then Freed”. Along with the help of Beau’s faithful and loving mother Carol, we met up at a horse farm in Pungo and created Beau’s masterpiece. Two images have never looked so different, yet so powerful as the two images that sit side-by-side in “Trapped then Freed”. My only hope is that this image, along with my interview of Beau Cowan inspires many people to overcome the obstacles in their lives and bring Beau’s positive message into their hearts. –DAB
Let's start with your photograph, "Trapped then Freed". Explain the concept behind this image & what you hope it will do for people.
The image of “trapped” means that I'm a prisoner of my wheelchair. As I’ve often said, “Trapped in a prison of pain, trapped in a prison of shame, trapped in a prison of chains”. I have kind of a love/hate relationship with my wheelchair. I know I need it to get around but it holds me trapped because I cannot get out of it and walk. The “freed” image means that I am freed from the chains of my wheelchair. As long as I am on my horse I can go anywhere. The wheels of my wheelchair get stuck in the sand but the hooves of my horse do not.
I wanted the “trapped” image to be black and white and I wanted to put the chains in the image to signify being trapped and chained to the wheelchair. I wanted the “freed” image to be sort of a celebration, meaning that I am freed from my wheelchair and the chains that bind me and can go anywhere. I put the two images right next to each other to show the stark difference between the two contrasting images and have a distinct positive effect on people. I hope this image will conjure mixed emotions from sadness to happiness. Sadness at the “trapped” image, then happiness with the “freed” image. I also hope that it serves as inspiration to people who are trapped in certain situations. They, too can also become freed when they find their heart’s passion.
What are some of the most frustrating things that you deal with on a daily basis?
I have my struggles on a day to day basis just like anybody, but the thing I struggle with the most is just day to day tasks. Something that may take a non-disabled person 5 minutes may take me 15 or 20 minutes.
I have my struggles on a day to day basis just like anybody, but the thing I struggle with the most is just day to day tasks. Something that may take a non-disabled person 5 minutes may take me 15 or 20 minutes.
Where do you find happiness?
I have a jar of happiness in my room and when I feel sad I just open it! Kidding aside, sometimes I struggle with being happy but I just have to say to myself, “Yes I am in a wheelchair but I am a lot better off than most people that have disabilities, and I need to try and do the best I can to make the most out of the gifts I have been given.”
What are some of the “gifts” you feel that you have been given?
I have been given a good brain, a good personality and the ability to teach other people about disabilities.
What are some of the obstacles that you have overcome in your life?
Well for starters I was born two months premature and that caused me to have a lack of oxygen at birth, which caused me to have Cerebral Palsy. There have been obstacles at school when I had kids tease me when I was younger about being different, but I continue to this day to try and educate people about disabilities and tell them that people who have disabilities may have to do things in a different way, but we can pretty much do the same things everybody else does.
Well for starters I was born two months premature and that caused me to have a lack of oxygen at birth, which caused me to have Cerebral Palsy. There have been obstacles at school when I had kids tease me when I was younger about being different, but I continue to this day to try and educate people about disabilities and tell them that people who have disabilities may have to do things in a different way, but we can pretty much do the same things everybody else does.
Explain some of the most significant moments in your life and why they are important to you.
The first significant moment in my life is when my mom discovered Equi-Kids. My mom has been a lifelong equestrian and I always begged her to ride. When she heard of Equi-Kids she jumped at the chance to have me ride. When I first got on a horse I felt a sense of freedom that I had never felt before because I was always "trapped" in my wheelchair. It was because of Equi-Kids, a therapeutic riding program based in Virginia Beach, that my mom went out and purchased me my first horse named “Fancy”. I rode Fancy until we lost her at the age of 29. I would ride her independently wherever I wanted to go, so to me, riding horses is the greatest accomplishment I have had so far. I hope to help raise money for Equi-Kids through the sales of my "Trapped then Freed" photograph as I am donating a portion of every sale to this organization.
What are some of your long-term goals?
My long term goals are to finish college and get a good job. I would like to get married and have kids and the white picket fence…the whole nine yards!!! I would also like to continue to educate people and help to raise awareness about people with disabilities.
Who are your biggest role models, and why?
I have two huge role models in my life. The first one is my mother. Not only did she raise me to be the person I am, she also raised my brother and sister as well. She has always been my biggest advocate. She has always been there with a positive attitude even when things get bad. She is one of the reasons I have a good attitude about life.
My other biggest role model is Aaron Vale, the horse show jumping rider because he lives to ride and tries to win in every horse show class. He actually respects every horse he rides and does not just use them as tools for success. He is a great friend of mine and he motivates me to do my best!!!
What are your thoughts on bullying?
In school, I always felt a sense of people not including me. For example, people would talk to me at school but they would not include me in there after-school plans. They would all go out on the weekends and I would be home. People would stare at me and make rude comments about me and my wheelchair so my philosophy was that if people were going to stare at me, I was going to give them something to stare at. So I would just act silly, joke around and do whatever I could to make people laugh!!! I would use humor as a tool to interact with people, but in reality I was hurting on the inside. If someone with a disability is being bullied I would tell them to stand up for themselves. Tell the other person that this was the way you were born, and if they don't like you for you, then they don't need to be your friend. I have found that a lot of bullying comes from not knowing and being uncertain. Educate them, let them ask questions and I guarantee that if they are informed they will understand the situation and decrease the chances of them bullying you.
Do you get a sense that people are unsure or feel awkward around you?
If I see someone, especially a kid, staring at me, I try and come up to them and introduce myself and sort of make the wheelchair less scary so to speak. As I keep saying, people are scared of things that they don't understand so that's why I try to educate people as much as possible.
What advice do you have for other people with disabilities?
It is important to do your best in everything you do, especially if you have a disability because people sometimes doubt what you can do because of your disability. Just do your best with whatever you have and that's all you really can do.
What do I wish non-disabled people would realize about disabled people?
What I wish non-disabled people would realize about disabled people is that people with disabilities can do pretty much everything a non-disabled person can do, just in a slightly different way.
Prints and T-shirts with the “Trapped then Freed” image may be purchased at:
A portion of all sales will be donated to Equi-Kids.
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