- Mar 5, 2003
- 19,926
- 1,067
- Gender
- Male
- Faith
- Catholic
- Marital Status
- Married
On January 10th, 1995 walking home from school (I was in the 8th grade), we decided to go sledding. Now we have a huge sledding hill right by our house, but we wanted to meet up with two friends (on the otherside of town).
So we get together at Atwood Park, in Wayne Michigan. We went sledding for about 2 hours or so, then stopped. We were waiting for a ride home (I was a teacher in a program at church called "TeamKids.)"
So we sat at the top of the hill and talked while we waited. I sat on the sled, with my back towards the hill facing my friends. They were resting on a fence at the top of the hill, my feet were hanging over the bottom as a brace.
For some reason I slipped backwards. I was right next to a walk way up the hill, and when I fell I hit one of the poles to it square in the back. The next thing I know I was at the bottom of the hill and could not feel my legs. I was sacred, and didn't really know what was going on, I could taste blood in my mouth (I bit my tongue & lip). All I could say was, "call an ambulance, I can't feel my legs" over and over again.
My friend Nicole rushed down to me first, while my other friends Josh and Sayrd ran to a phone to call my parents and 911. She kept telling me things would be okay, things would be okay.
An odd thing happened, and trust me I'm not making this up.
I felt someone holding my head. Nicole and others said my head never flung back and hit the pole, just my back did. They said it looked like someone held my head forward. Guys, if I would have hit my head, I would have been a vegetable, if not dead. My head should have hit he pole, the EMT said they didn't understand why I didn't.
I know it was an angel, I knew it before I even became Catholic (funny that I picked St. Michael the archangel as my patron saint).
I was rushed to the University of Michigan Medical Center. One of the top ten hospitals in the country, I feel very luck I got to go there. After three days in the hospital I had surgery. It was a 12 hour surgery on my spinal cord. It was broke at the level of T-8, which means I cannot feel anything from my waist down, but I keep full use of everything above.
After surgery, the doctors told me they placed a metal pole in my back where my spinal cord was and that I would never walk again.
I spent the next four months of my life at U of M in rehab. Learning how to dress myself, bath myself, use a wheelchair, the whole nine yards. It was horrible to say the least.
I was never really mad. The first thing I asked for when I got to the hospital was my Bible. I knew I wanted it close by me. My pastor was there a lot, and so was my youth group (they moved the Youth Group meetings to the hospital so I could attend).
I learned a lot about suffering. I live in a brand new world today then before 1-10-95. I have been to other countries and I must say I am very lucky to live in the United States with the Americans with Disabilities Act. I know this law gets abused a lot for silly lawsuits, but because of it, every public place must have a ramp. It must have a bathroom that I will be able to get into with my chair, concerts, and sporting events have accessible sections. I spent a week in Canada and man it was hell! Nothing was accessible!
When I look back at what I experienced, it's nothing compared to what Jesus Christ suffered for my sins. It's nothing when I think of the pain he must have felt when they drove that crown of thorns on his head.
We live a short life here on Earth, my goal is to make each day pleasing to Christ. Reminds me of a song by Michael W. Smith:
For the world to know the truth
There can be no greater proof
Than to live the life, live the life
There's no love that's quite as pure
There's no pain we can't endure
If we live the life, live the life
----------
Pictures:
1. The sign my church put up for me right after my accident.
2. My PT sherry
3. The Hill. I hit one of those poles toward the bottom
So we get together at Atwood Park, in Wayne Michigan. We went sledding for about 2 hours or so, then stopped. We were waiting for a ride home (I was a teacher in a program at church called "TeamKids.)"
So we sat at the top of the hill and talked while we waited. I sat on the sled, with my back towards the hill facing my friends. They were resting on a fence at the top of the hill, my feet were hanging over the bottom as a brace.
For some reason I slipped backwards. I was right next to a walk way up the hill, and when I fell I hit one of the poles to it square in the back. The next thing I know I was at the bottom of the hill and could not feel my legs. I was sacred, and didn't really know what was going on, I could taste blood in my mouth (I bit my tongue & lip). All I could say was, "call an ambulance, I can't feel my legs" over and over again.
My friend Nicole rushed down to me first, while my other friends Josh and Sayrd ran to a phone to call my parents and 911. She kept telling me things would be okay, things would be okay.
An odd thing happened, and trust me I'm not making this up.
I felt someone holding my head. Nicole and others said my head never flung back and hit the pole, just my back did. They said it looked like someone held my head forward. Guys, if I would have hit my head, I would have been a vegetable, if not dead. My head should have hit he pole, the EMT said they didn't understand why I didn't.
I know it was an angel, I knew it before I even became Catholic (funny that I picked St. Michael the archangel as my patron saint).
I was rushed to the University of Michigan Medical Center. One of the top ten hospitals in the country, I feel very luck I got to go there. After three days in the hospital I had surgery. It was a 12 hour surgery on my spinal cord. It was broke at the level of T-8, which means I cannot feel anything from my waist down, but I keep full use of everything above.
After surgery, the doctors told me they placed a metal pole in my back where my spinal cord was and that I would never walk again.
I spent the next four months of my life at U of M in rehab. Learning how to dress myself, bath myself, use a wheelchair, the whole nine yards. It was horrible to say the least.
I was never really mad. The first thing I asked for when I got to the hospital was my Bible. I knew I wanted it close by me. My pastor was there a lot, and so was my youth group (they moved the Youth Group meetings to the hospital so I could attend).
I learned a lot about suffering. I live in a brand new world today then before 1-10-95. I have been to other countries and I must say I am very lucky to live in the United States with the Americans with Disabilities Act. I know this law gets abused a lot for silly lawsuits, but because of it, every public place must have a ramp. It must have a bathroom that I will be able to get into with my chair, concerts, and sporting events have accessible sections. I spent a week in Canada and man it was hell! Nothing was accessible!
When I look back at what I experienced, it's nothing compared to what Jesus Christ suffered for my sins. It's nothing when I think of the pain he must have felt when they drove that crown of thorns on his head.
We live a short life here on Earth, my goal is to make each day pleasing to Christ. Reminds me of a song by Michael W. Smith:
For the world to know the truth
There can be no greater proof
Than to live the life, live the life
There's no love that's quite as pure
There's no pain we can't endure
If we live the life, live the life
----------
Pictures:
1. The sign my church put up for me right after my accident.
2. My PT sherry
3. The Hill. I hit one of those poles toward the bottom
