Simon Calcavecchia

In 2002, Simon Calcavecchia moved to Australia to follow his dream of playing rugby. After his third game of the season, he was injured in a scrum leaving him with c5/6 quadriplegia. Several years after the injury, he graduated from The Evergreen State College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Arts. After graduating, Simon spent most of his time volunteering with preschool children who inspired him to write about, “The Adventures of Frank and Mustard." The book stars Frank, a dog that uses a wheelchair, and his best buddy Mustard. The ideas behind the book were created to allow Simon to share his experiences with quadriplegia and spread more disability awareness. The message in the book inspires optimism and strength when facing life's challenges. Simon hopes that by sharing these stories children will see that they have a choice to see their challenges as opportunities for growth. These books emphasize the power to create love, joy, and strength in response to life's events.