Stories

Stories

It means

Setting, and then crushing your goals.

It means

Keeping your inner circle close, because they believe—Shalieve—in you.

It means

Spreading the spirit of Shalieve to the people you meet.


The Spirit of Shalieve is infectious.

The Spirit of

Shalieve

The Spirit of

Shalieve

The origin and meaning of Shalieve

Ryan Shazier is no stranger to injuries. Yet he comes back from them more fit, more determined, and an even better player. He’s also a guy who knows the importance of maintaining lifelong friendships. His best friend from high school, Jerome Howard, is also his trainer.

On a trip to the airport before the 2016 season, Shazier, Howard, and Shazier’s wife Michelle were talking about Ryan’s upcoming goals for the football season with the Pittsburgh Steelers

“It was the year before my first Pro Bowl,” says Shazier, “and I told Jerome, ‘Yeah, I wanna make Pro Bowl—I want people to believe—like SHA-lieve in me!”

Michelle takes over, “We all started laughing, and I remember saying, ‘That sounds so cool and so different and so YOU!”

Shalieve became a locker room mantra, a “Steelers shout.”

Shazier crushed his goals, and was selected to the 2016 Pro Bowl.

During the 2017 season, Shazier suffered a spinal cord injury, and #Shalieve became a trending hashtag on Twitter, a sign of support on hats and other merchandise in the Pittsburgh area, and a way to show love and support to Shazier, who was again “Shalieving” in himself through his SCI recovery.

A fun, fabricated word between lifelong friends became the declaration for hope.

The Spirit of

Shalieve

The origin and meaning of Shalieve

Ryan Shazier is no stranger to injuries. Yet he comes back from them more fit, more determined, and an even better player. He’s also a guy who knows the importance of maintaining lifelong friendships. His best friend from high school, Jerome Howard, is also his trainer.

On a trip to the airport before the 2016 season, Shazier, Howard, and Shazier’s wife Michelle were talking about Ryan’s upcoming goals for the football season with the Pittsburgh Steelers

“It was the year before my first Pro Bowl,” says Shazier, “and I told Jerome, ‘Yeah, I wanna make Pro Bowl—I want people to believe—like SHA-lieve in me!”

Michelle takes over, “We all started laughing, and I remember saying, ‘That sounds so cool and so different and so YOU!”

Shalieve became a locker room mantra, a “Steelers shout.”

Shazier crushed his goals, and was selected to the 2016 Pro Bowl.

During the 2017 season, Shazier suffered a spinal cord injury, and #Shalieve became a trending hashtag on Twitter, a sign of support on hats and other merchandise in the Pittsburgh area, and a way to show love and support to Shazier, who was again “Shalieving” in himself through his SCI recovery.

A fun, fabricated word between lifelong friends became the declaration for hope.

It means

Setting, and then crushing your goals.

It means

Keeping your inner circle close, because they believe—Shalieve—in you.

It means

Spreading the spirit of Shalieve to the people you meet.
The Spirit of Shalieve is infectious.

    A “Vintage” Wheelchair User – Jason Bell

    by Cathy Cuff-Coffman Jason Bell reflects on 25 years of seated life and how education plays a role in moving forward. The date was September 11, 1997. Jason Bell was 25 years old and struggling academically. The Sonoma, CA, native admits to being a terrible student since kindergarten. “I had to repeat kindergarten,” [...]

    Published On: November 22, 2024Categories: Individual

“We support the Ryan Shazier Fund for Spinal Rehabilitation’s mission of giving those with spinal cord injuries and their caregivers the support, resources, and funding they need to live independent and meaningful lives. As a family that has faced life-altering spinal cord and brain injuries, we have seen firsthand the importance of building a solid community around recovery and rehabilitation.”

– John