Fourteen Years Later

It isn't something I dwell upon, but fourteen years ago today my life turned upside down. Okay, that pun was unintended. My youth group was in the Bahamas on a mission trip when I was paralyzed in a gymnastics routine.

For eight hours we were all paralyzed waiting for a helicopter to arrive from the States to fly me to medical care in Miami. Immediately people came together around me and my family. They supported us then and through the months ahead by helping out, sharing encouragements, and keeping us in their lives.

Over the years I've met or heard of several guys who just gave up after being paralyzed because they could not accept this had happened to them. Some have become hardened, fighting vigorously to regain the function they had lost. Some were left by everyone they knew and forced to face this challenge alone.

When I look back, there are frustrating days I just want to get up and put this all behind. There are other days I know it is because of my unique situation I'm able to have special relationships with some. Most days are just normal and I simply work through the common day-to-day things we all face.

Were it not for God at work in my life things could have been dark. Were it not for my family, I would have been helpless. Were it not for the medical pros, I would have been invalid. Were it not for dear friends, I would have been lonely.

So many people have said to me, "I don't think I could handle it as well as you." It wasn't me. Somehow we all brought each other through my paralysis and wherever I've been my community has been better for it. It is strange that tragedy often brings something beautiful. Fourteen years later I still see the lives of people around me shaped by this event that changed my life forever.