10 Facts About Brooke Ellison

Brooke Mackenzie Ellison was an American academic, disability advocate, and the first person with quadriplegia to graduate from Harvard University.

The Brooke Ellison Story premiered in 2004, based on Ellison's 2002 memoir Miracles Happen: One Mother, One Daughter, One Journey.

Brooke Ellison was portrayed by Vanessa Marano as a child and Lacey Chabert as a teenager.

Brooke Ellison ran for New York State Senate as a Democrat in 2006 but was defeated by the Republican incumbent, John Flanagan.

Brooke Ellison served on the advisory board of the Genetics Policy Institute.

Brooke Ellison was a professor in the School of Health Technology and Management at Stony Brook University and a motivational speaker.

In November 2015, Brooke Ellison teamed up with director James Siegel to create the award-winning documentary "Hope Deferred", which aims to educate the general public about embryonic stem cell research.

Brooke Ellison served as Vice President of Tech Access for United Spinal Association beginning in January 2023 following her 2022 appointment to their board.

Two decades following the publication of Miracles Happen, Brooke Ellison wrote and published her second book, Look Both Ways in 2021.

Brooke Ellison died at Stony Brook University Hospital on February 4,2024, at age 45, of complications from quadriplegia.