He did a lot in his life, wheelchair and all. He off to a great career in medicine (chief psychiatry resident at Massachussetts General) before he became a policy adviser to the Carter administration and then later a speechwriter for Mondale, which pushed him towards political commentary. A life well-lived.

> he broke his neck in a swimming pool

This seems to be an understated danger. Whenever I hear about a young person confined to a wheelchair, it seems as likely as not that their mistake was diving headfirst into unexpectedly shallow water.

My old college neighbor did the same thing, drunk at a 3rd friends wedding. He's in a wheelchair now. One more thing a parent has to stress.