BALTIMORE COUNTY — Jerrod Harris served a little more than four years in the Army before being medically retired. Harris is also a small, veteran-owned and disabled business owner of Carter’s First Choice Firearms. At the time of his retirement, he said he did not know the symptoms he was experiencing were connected to MS.
“I didn’t know what it was, and I was scared,” Harris said. “When I found out what it was, I told the doctor, ‘OK, cool ... now that we have a name on it, we can fight it.’”
Harris was diagnosed in 2008. He said when he first searched online for information about MS, the images he saw made him fear he would soon need a wheelchair. At the time, he was still active, running 5Ks and participating in community events. But after getting COVID, Harris said his MS symptoms became much worse.
“My walking was barely at all,” Harris said. “My balance was horribly off ... I was holding on to everything to walk.”
Now, Harris uses different mobility aids depending on the day or even the time of day. He said using a scooter was difficult to accept at first, but it ultimately helped him become more present with his family.
“It allows me to take part in life with my kids and live,” Harris said. “Not just financially, but to live and enjoy life.”
Harris is one of the veterans featured in a new coloring book created by the Colonial Chapter of the Paralyzed Veterans of America. The book highlights veterans living with disabilities, including those who use wheelchairs, scooters, canes or walkers.
For Harris, the coloring book is about more than art. He said it helps people, especially children, see and accept people with disabilities.
“You don’t even understand the awareness you’re doing while you’re coloring the book,” Harris said. “You’re recognizing and accepting people with disabilities.”
Jason Spohn, marketing director for the Colonial Chapter of the Paralyzed Veterans of America, said the idea was to find a creative way to involve the community, raise awareness, and support the chapter’s programs.
“The mission is we strive for a better quality of life for veterans, their families, and their caregivers dealing with spinal cord injury and disease ... as well as MS and ALS,” Spohn said.
Spohn said the Colonial Chapter serves more than 320 veterans, along with their families and caregivers. The chapter covers all of Maryland, as well as parts of Washington, D.C., Delaware, New Jersey, and Philadelphia. Its programs, events, and membership are free.
Funds raised through the coloring book will support veterans living with spinal cord injuries, ALS, and MS. Spohn said those dollars help pay for events, programs, and experiences that get veterans out of the house and connected with others.
For Harris, that community has made a major difference.
“You find your community,” Harris said. “We bond with service and disability, and we get the fellowship together.”
The coloring book is available for purchase through the Colonial Chapter of the Paralyzed Veterans of America at colonialpva.org. The chapter is also holding a coloring contest through the end of September, with prizes for the top-voted entry and the PVA member who sells the most books.
Harris said he hopes people who see the story take away a deeper understanding of what it means to live with a disability.
“The disability population is the only minority population that you are one second away from being part of,” Harris said. “Think about that when you interact with people with disabilities.”
To purchase the coloring book or learn more about the Colonial Chapter of the Paralyzed Veterans of America, visit colonialpva.org.
