United Spinal Updates

Donor Spotlight: Honey's Story

Growing up in Massachusetts in the early 1950s, Claire Shea was 6 years-old when she first met Ethel (Honey) Decenza, a wheelchair user who would leave a lasting impression and ignite a life-long passion to help others.

Claire’s mother Elizabeth, a registered nurse, took on the responsibility of caring for Honey, then 30, after a car accident left her paralyzed from the waist down 8 years earlier. Through her mother’s burgeoning friendship with Honey, Claire got to know the many remarkable facets of her life and her strong will to overcome spinal cord injury (SCI).

Claire Shea and Honey DecenzaHoney was bed ridden for several years after her accident, unable to sit up and powerless to regain her independence. During a time when most people with disabilities were segregated from society and there were minimal advancements in the treatment and care of people with SCI, Honey’s future looked bleak.

But soon after WWII, doctors developed new surgical procedures to help treat hundreds of thousands of soldiers returning home with SCI and long-term disabilities. These same doctors successfully completed bone fusion surgery on Honey’s damaged spinal cord, enabling her to get out of bed and regain some function.

It was around this time that Claire’s mother, a post-surgical nurse, was called on to assist with Honey’s rehabilitation. The two got along so well, Honey’s family requested Elizabeth return home with her to teach her self-care and how to live as a wheelchair user.

Through Elizabeth’s dedicated care and support, Honey regained her quality of life and independence. She learned new ways to perform daily activities and care for herself. She outfitted her car with hand controls so she could drive again and rejoin her community doing the things she loved, like painting, swimming, and spending time with her many nieces and nephews.

Her family, who were in the jewelry business, had the means to build Honey an accessible home in Winthrop, Massachusetts, that allowed her to reach new levels of independence.

And all through her childhood years, Claire had the opportunity to witness Honey’s transformation from a woman whose quality of life was completey wiped out by SCI, to an independent, thriving member of her community who refused to let physical disability slow her down.

“Honey taught me so much about how to live an independent life. She was truly the most remarkable woman I have ever met.  We stayed friends, even after my mother died, and I often traveled to her summer home with her in Nova Scotia,” said Claire.

Honey passed away in 1998 in her 70s after a massive stroke.  But Claire has many cherished memories of the time they had shared together.

“She was like my second mom. I still miss her,” said Claire.

In Honey’s memory, Claire continues to support other individuals living with SCI through United Spinal Association.

“Honey showed us all what could be accomplished with determination and a helping hand. That’s why I support United Spinal, they empower wheelchair users to do the same,” she added.