Meet Marcela Marañon, the First Latina Wheelchair User to Climb Mt. Kilimanjaro

MARCELA in Her Own Words

GET TO KNOW MARCELA

After a car accident in 2002 rendered her an amputee paralyzed from the waist down, Marcela decided to turn her life around. Inspired by her own journey to recovery and self acceptance, she joined social media to share inspiring messages about her life as a wheelchair user. 

Following her accident, Marcela first struggled to come to terms with her new reality as a wheelchair user. But despite the challenges that came with this life-altering experience, she eventually blossomed into an outspoken advocate on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok to help educate people around the difficulties of navigating life with a physical disability. 

Marcela’s mission is to change the narrative around wheelchair users. On her Instagram channel, @AJourneyofaBraveWoman, she showcases her wheelchair as a tool for success rather than a limitation. To date, she has already visited five of the seven wonders of the world, all on her own. She has even climbed Tanzania’s Mt. Kilimanjaro, proving that absolutely nothing will ever hold her back. 

Overcoming adversity has helped shape Marcela into the influencer she is today—an inspiration to those who are confronted with feelings of loss, frustration, and emotional isolation that can come with disability.Kelly gained an early following with fitness content shared via her first handle, @KellyUfit. But when she recognized the unhealthy habits she was mirroring and demonstrating, she changed her approach—and her handle. Her new page, @KellyU, promotes self-love.

INCLUSIVITY AND SELF-LOVE

By leveraging her own experience with disability as a force for good, Marcela has fostered a supportive, meaningful relationship with her follower base over time, and brands were quick to see the incredible impact she has on her online community. Marcela’s inspiring message of self-love is one she conveys through collaborations with brands like NextGen America, Amazon Fashion, ALOHA, and Thrive Causemetics and others.

Now with a robust following of over 450K on Instagram and 270K on TikTok, Marcela’s motivational content resonates with people from all walks of life: some who’ve experienced similar struggles with disability, others who simply look to her as a source of hope and strength.