Abstract Living with a spinal cord injury {(SCI)} is often a transformative spiritual experience. In this paper, the life story of Dewey, a man with incomplete tetraplegia, is examined with reference to the role religion and spirituality played in helping him adapt to {SCI.} For Dewey, a working-class husband and father, religion was not a salient feature of his pre-injury life. Only after a prolonged period of pain, depression, and isolation following {SCI} did Dewey experience a religious and spiritual awakening. Implications for generating a theory about religiousness and spirituality in the lives of persons with a disability are discussed.