Manuel Silva has not let being a quadriplegic stop him from living life to the fullest and becoming a great dad.

He and his wife, Kristine, said they are too busy raising their two boys, Jason, 14, and Daniel (Danny), 11, to let anything get in their way.

Manny and Kris Silva were high school sweethearts. The couple met in 1986 when Manny Silva was attending Platt Technical High School and his future wife was a student at Foran High School, both in Milford.

They married in 1992, and the following year he was seriously injured in a motor vehicle accident that left him paralyzed from the chest down. Soon thereafter, he lost his job at a New Haven architectural firm where he had worked for four years. He declined to give a reason, but said it helped him chart a new course in life.

“I was inspired to start my own design firm specializing in accessibility for the disabled,” Silva said.

Silva turns 46 Saturday.

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