The story behind the message.

Skateboarding, snowboarding, hockey and exploring the incredible nature of British Columbia were Kevin's greatest passions before the car crash. He was 21.

What started as a booze-fueled Saturday night quickly turned tragic with a number of poor choices. Kevin Brooks and his childhood friend Brendon left a party, driving intoxicated, distracted and at excessive speeds. The result — a horrific crash that Kevin did not walk away from and Brendon did not survive.

Kevin spent months in ICU at Vancouver General Hospital and G.F. Strong Rehabilitation Centre. The daily battles were constant. The goals often tedious — breathing exercises, sitting up, rolling over in bed, and eventually showering and dressing. But with each small victory, Kevin gained momentum and strength.

His toughest challenge still lay ahead though: facing the family of Brendon, his childhood friend, who passed away in the car crash.

Many tears were shed, and at the end an invite from Brendon's parents to visit their family home. “This was the hardest thing I have ever done,” Kevin says.

However, to Kevin's surprise he was met with empathy, compassion and forgiveness. Gifts that would drive his emotional healing, and lessons he would keep near to his heart forever.

Never could he imagine that one day soon he would begin sharing these life lessons into a microphone, for rooms full of people.

Once he was released from G.F. Strong, where his days were filled with physical therapy and occupational therapy, Kevin was kind of lost. His relationship with his girlfriend had crumbled after the crash. His jobs as a server and apprentice electrician were no longer feasible. Many doors had seemingly closed, but many more were about to open.

Kevin began working out at the gym and developing a daily routine that would help build strength and purpose. He would roll up a steep hill, or take his wheelchair to the skateboard park and drop in, just to see if he could and to say that he did. He was determined to find a new way.

While navigating his new reality as a paraplegic, Kevin began researching college courses. One day a chance meeting with Rick Hansen — “The Man In Motion”, a world-renowned para-athlete, advocate and inspirational speaker — would change everything.

Rick, perhaps seeing a reflection of his younger self in Kevin, proposed a challenge. The foundation that bears his name was looking for people from the paraplegic community to hold events, in order to raise awareness and funding to help improve accessibility in communities across Canada and beyond.

Six months of training, networking and fundraising later, Kevin and an entire team of friends, families, volunteers, first responders, lifeguards, media and spectators were on a beach. The event was called “From Wheels To Water.” Not only did it raise $8,200 for the Rick Hansen Foundation, it also awarded Kevin his first invitation to speak to an audience.

It all started in a library at an elementary school. The kids loved it. Then another. Next came a high school with eight hundred teenagers filling the bleachers. They surrounded Kevin afterwards, thanking him and sharing their own personal stories.

The following summer Kevin was speaking at Rick Hansen events to community members, volunteers, politicians and participants. The Insurance Corporation of British Columbia soon took notice. Kevin was invited to join their Road Safety Speaker Team. From here, he began speaking in numerous schools, colleges, community events and traffic safety awareness campaigns across his home province of BC.

Provincial conferences came next. Then Canadian national conferences. An appearance on The Tyra Show got him international recognition. An invite to speak at a state conference led to US bookings, including multiple national conferences and appearances on massive campaigns like Reebok's “Be More Human” and even a small part in the Netflix series “My Life With The Walter Boys.” Kevin released his first book, “Just Wiggle Your Toes”, to critical acclaim, and has continued to be a leading speaker for youth and adult audiences for over 20 years now.

2026 was his busiest year yet, with over one hundred and twenty bookings. Kevin estimates that he has done well over 2,000 presentations to date, and reached at least a million people.

Today, from his wheelchair, Kevin is still sharing his life-changing story with audiences across North America. His messaging has expanded upon traffic safety to include mental health, suicide prevention, opioid awareness, leadership, community, social responsibility and many more pertinent topics. Not just a sad story, Kevin's story is one of resilience, redemption, and hope, that he delivers with humility, conviction and a sharp sense of humor.