Recovering from Spinal Cord Injury
On July 7th, 2018 a bicycle accident caused me to be completely paralyzed from that waist down. After my injury, I was overwhelmed with grief and anger but my biggest fear was that I would spend the rest of my life mourning what I had lost. When I was in the ICU I made a promise to my partner that I would try to live a life that was so fulfilling that the story of my life would not be a tragedy but a story of triumph. I remind myself of this every day. It has been a year since I was injured and in just 12 months I have left the hospital, returned to work, learned to walk with leg braces, competed in 4 triathlons, won national championship medals in track and field and triathlon, learned to drive with hand controls and been on vacation with my family. Looking back on the last year I have felt more pain than I ever could have imagined but I have felt more pride as well. I will continue to fight to live a life that makes me happy because I believe that regardless of ability we can all achieve happiness.
