Cindi Bernhardt became a quadriplegic at the age of 18, when she broke her neck in a fall from a second-floor window. While in the hospital, she learned to write using a specially adapted pen between her teeth. Her writing soon progressed to sketching, then to painting. Following physical therapy, Cindi attended Mount San Antonio Junior College in Walnut, California, and received associate degrees in Child Development and Mental Health. She was working in a school for at-risk children when she decided to pursue her passion for art. In 1991, she joined the Mouth and Foot Painting Artists as a student member and remains in this position while continuing to work in the field of social services.

Today, Cindi’s works are featured in private collections throughout the United States, including one owned by William E. Simon, the former president of the U.S.A. Olympic Committee. During the 2002 Winter Olympics, Cindi carried her wheelchair-mounted Olympic torch through the streets of Pasadena, California, as part of the relay team that carried the flame throughout the country to the Salt Lake City Games.

As a special tribute to those who died on 9/11, Cindi painted an emotive image of a red, white and blue American eagle shedding a tear. MFPA created this piece as a tribute to the anniversary of 9/11 in 2002, and inserted it into 730,000 copies of the New York Times.

In her spare time, Cindi shares her story of triumph over adversity as a motivational speaker. She currently resides in West Covina, California.

Pictured above: “Crying Eagle” by Bernhardt.