This article is a Top 25 finalist for America Inspired. The contest celebrates extraordinary people making a difference across the United States. We invite you to cast your vote for the most compelling article in the Overcoming Adversity category as well as the four other America Inspired categories. After voting closes on Jan. 27, the finalists with the most votes in each category will share $100,000 in prizes.
Sabrina Cohen has performed stand-up comedy from a wheelchair, rolled the catwalk as a fashion model, and donned scarcely more than a bikini's worth of body paint, all in the name of raising money for medical research. She's also lobbied Congress, hobnobbed with Bill and Hillary Clinton, strategized with Michael J. Fox, and has proved an inspiration to Dr. Sally Temple, winner of a MacArthur genius grant for her work as a neuroscientist