Dropped By An Angel

Robert Rieck Finds Hidden Talent Amidst Tragedy



Robert Rieck, a man in his thirties from Ord, Nebraska with an Associate’s Degree in Business Administration makes T-shirt designs for a living. Not too terribly interesting, right? No, at least not until you watch him.

He draws them with his mouth.

At his booth at the Farmer’s Market in the Haymarket District of Lincoln, Nebraska, off to the side sits a picture of Robert in action; marker in mouth, sitting in his wheelchair, easel directly in front of his face, drawing… with his mouth. Moreover, these T-Shirts are meant to be humorous. Not subtle humor, but in your face, slightly discomforting, and overt humor. Just like one of his T-Shirts that pictures Jesus, clearly in a wheelchair, with a speech bubble that says “My Angel Didn’t Catch Me”.

September 30th, 1996; Estes Park. While hiking along a normal walking route, Robert decides to go closer to the edge, be daring. Only a few moments later and his life would change forever.

One slip, and Robert had fallen off of the mountain. Sixty feet beneath his companions, Robert lays motionless. He is not dead, however, but has injured his spinal cord, and for the rest of his life he will be labeled as a C-5 quadriplegic, confined to a wheelchair, with zero use of his lower body and little to no use of his upper body.

Robert’s recovery was a difficult one, as anyone can imagine after having fallen off of a mountain, but what primarily pushed Robert through was his sense of humor; of his ability to be able to laugh and to laugh at himself. This becomes evident when one sees his business name: QuadAntics. Quad, for he is a quadriplegic, and an antic is something that is ludicrous or funny.

Robert has become a volunteer mentor for people with spinal cord injuries, plays rugby, and is happily involved with his girlfriend of five years, Jessie Garner, who is also a quadriplegic- she injured her spinal cord in a car accident. He also does tax returns for his family and friends, and has his own T-shirt shop.

It is QuadAntics first year of selling their T-Shirts at the Farmer’s Market, and he says that they are selling well. His friend to his right opens up his button down shirt to reveal one of Robert’s shirts- it has the same Jesus figure, only this time shouting “Why Me”.

“I was afraid people might be offended.”

Before discovering he could draw with his mouth, he had been signing documents with it. In addition, his friend says that he can write in cursive with his mouth better than anyone else he knows can with their hands.

Robert doesn’t just sell his shirts on his online shop and at the Farmer’s Market; he sells them at music festivals, door to door, and in other shops like Here and Back Again, Dirt Cheap, Exotic Gift Emporium, and Santini Leather- all located in and around Lincoln, Nebraska.

A spinal cord injury is not Robert’s only inspiration for making T-shirts; his girlfriend Jessie also encourages him. The couple met in 2005, when Robert’s caregiver’s daughter was getting married, and he was asked to film the wedding. Robert met Jessie’s aunt at the reception, and was later introduced to Jessie at the aunt’s house.

Laughter and optimism. That is how Robert Rieck gets by.

How long it’s taken him to perfect his skill?

“I haven’t,” he smiled. “I’m getting better every day.”