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BACK IN THE DRIVER’S SEAT:   

Medically retired Air Force veteran and rally car racer awarded vehicle that will be retrofit to her needs, thanks to DrivenToDrive program   

December 3 is International Day of People with Disabilities   

KARAH BEHREND

Medically Retired Air Force Senior Airman   

Karah Behrend was a communications signals intelligence analyst with the United States Air Force when she was diagnosed with Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (RSD CRPS). She was medically retired after being confined to a wheelchair in 2018.   

This past Veteran’s Day, November 11, 2020, Karah was the surprise recipient of a retrofitted vehicle thanks to the 4^thAnnual DrivenToDrive program, which helps disabled veterans get back behind the wheel. The program was created to help injured veterans, like Behrend, who have greatly sacrificed for our country, regain their independence. Karah is a now Rally Car Racer who helps train others how to drive off-road, specifically with hand controls. In previous years the vehicle is retrofit by DriveToDrive, however this year since Karah has been developing her own hand controls, she plans to retrofit the vehicle she wins courtesy of DrivenToDrive. Karah loves driving because it gives her a sense of normalcy. When she’s in her car, she’s just like every other driver; no one can tell that she is in a wheelchair.   

Karah also has a large presence onTikTok(250.1K followers) andInstagram(14.3K followers), where she educates her followers about her life in a wheelchair providing them a behind-the-scenes look into her life with a disability.   

On Dec. 3, International Day of People with Disabilities, Karah will share her remarkable story, details about the DrivenToDrive program and how she is using her position to help other disabled veterans.   

More About Karah Behrend:
Karah Behrend is a 27-year-old Air Force Veteran who has been paralyzed since 2018. Behrend joined the air force in 2011 as a communications signals intelligence analyst and spent approximately six and a half years in the military before medically retiring. She was diagnosed with RSD CRPS (Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Complex Regional Pain Syndrome), also known as the “suicide disease” that left her in a wheelchair. Behrend’s fighting spirit has led her to become an incredible adaptive athlete who participates in basketball and rugby Warrior Games. Additionally, Behrend is passionate about off-road racing and races as an amateur rally racer; she recently placed second in the Rebelle Rally, the first women’s off-road navigation rally raid in the United States. She is also considered a social media influencer in her own right. Behrend shares her daily life in a wheelchair on TikTok and Instagram, answering questions from her followers and creating engaging content.