Couple shares with students how they overcame remarkable odds to find peace and love
A legless sprinter and a stand-up comedian in a wheelchair, Burbank residents and actors Katy Sullivan and Jay Cramer offer themselves as examples of how accepting life on its own terms can provide a pathway to peace, love and healing.
The married couple shared with Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy students in an assembly Tuesday how they overcame remarkable odds to find themselves and one another and are now on a mission to increase the visibility of individuals living with disabilities, one acting role and speaking engagement at a time.
“You don’t see a lot of handicapped or disabled people on television or in movies. And if you do, chances are they are not being played by handicapped people or disabled people,” Cramer told a packed gymnasium of girls. “So we are right in the middle of a huge movement.”
So far, the pair have been successful in their mission. With roles on TV shows “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Desperate Housewives” and “NCIS: Los Angeles” under his belt, Cramer was awarded the title in 2009 of “L.A.’s Funniest Comic” by celebrity panelists in a competition at the Hollywood Improv.
Sullivan, 36, who’s appeared in “My Name is Earl,” “Last Man Standing” and “NCIS: New Orleans,” just returned from the 2016 Paralympic Games in Brazil, where she was a sports analyst for NBC. Before that, she represented the U.S. in the 2012 Paralympics in London, where she set a new U.S. record in the 100-meter race.
Setting credits and credentials aside, the pair spoke openly on Tuesday about their early lives and how their individual setbacks played a role in shaping them into their true selves.
Cramer, 41, shared how his journey as a bit of an adrenaline junkie led to his becoming a semifinalist for the popular TV show “Survivor.” While boulder climbing with some friends in Malibu Creek State Park, he lost his hold and, in an attempt to do a double jackknife dive into the hip-deep water below, smashed his c5 vertebra on the rocks below.
“My whole life changed in a blink of an eye,” he said, describing a long rehabilitation. “It turns out, this was the best thing that happened to me. You learn who you are ... who your friends really are. You learn what you want, and you learn what life really means — that’s a pretty cool gift to get at the ripe age of 30.”
Sullivan described how being born with legs ending just above the knee into a family that accepted her just as she was shaped her early formative years. Still, despite her many accomplishments, she was keenly aware of being different. She recalled hiding her legs under her skirt in a school picture at age 6 to appear “normal.”
“I remember thinking how I just wanted to be like everybody else,” Sullivan said. “(But) something I’ve learned in my life is the stuff that makes you different … from everybody else, that’s the good stuff. The stuff that makes you different is the stuff that makes you extraordinary.”
The appearance of the couple, relatives of Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy history teacher Andy Cramer, marked the first in a series of presentations planned for the year by the school’s Curriculum Board and Academic Council.
Talks in the Inspirational Speaker Series will center around this year’s Dominican theme “Love takes up where knowledge leaves off,” according to Rosemary Johnston, assistant principal and a member of the board and council, who called the presentation a “fabulous” example of the theme.
“The fact they were willing to share their love story was even more perfect,” Johnson said.
After the assembly, students buzzed with excitement. Junior Chloe Walters, whose 5-year-old brother Aaden lives with a spinal cord disability, was heartened to hear that Cramer and Sullivan’s families provided them with powerful support networks.
Sophomore Teresa Wang said the talk gave her a lot of food for thought.
“This assembly gives me the idea I can make it through my troubles and difficulties, because everything is possible,” she said.
--
Sara Cardine, sara.cardine@latimes.com
Twitter: @SaraCardine
