The Voice My Spinal Cord Injury Gave Me

Your voice...

As far back as I can remember I always remember my parents talking to me about my "voice." How I was using my voice. Was I using it to make a positive impact? Was I using it to fit in? Was I using it to better myself? Whenever I did something wrong, we had a long discussion about my mistakes and what led me to them.

It all came down to my conscious, you know that little voice in your head that tells you that maybe sneaking out at 3am in high school isn't a great idea but you do it anyways because you want to. Because at that age, your voice really isn't your voice, you're drumming to the beat of all your friends because you want to fit in. You might even do a bunch of things that you would of never really even thought about just because your friends say so.

I always considered myself more of a leader than a follower but that doesn't mean that I didn't have times that I did the same stupid stuff my friends and I wanted to do together.

I don't think it was because I really wanted to, I think I made dumb mistakes because I wasn't putting my voice to use because I didn't know how to. If that even makes any sense.

I have a lot of friends who have suffered spinal cord injuries like myself and they know that an injury like this is no "walk" (pun intended) in the park. Everything I once knew about myself was stripped away from me without a warning or a fair goodbye in my eyes. That voice I once used to make important decisions and voice my opinions on matters in my life, was something of the past. Things I used to think were really important in my life and the friends I thought were true blue friends almost evaporated into thin air. My life went from normal to abnormal in a split second.

Yeah, I could of let all these things get to me. Yeah, it SUCKED big time. But as cliche as this may sound, when things in your life fall apart it leaves room for bigger things to come together for you. That is exactly what happened to me. I lost a huge part of my life in a sense but I gained an even bigger treasure that I would of never gained if this accident didn't happen to me: my true voice. Plus an unbreakable spirit and mindset.

My voice gave me the ability to help others realize their true potential and continue to motivate others around me. I am able to shine a light on all the important things in life to help those people in my path continue to move forward - just like I continue to do everyday.

When you have something bad happen in your life, it can break your heart (amongst other things) and confuse others around you because they can't understand what you are going through. By possessing a voice, that enables me to reach others in a way I never knew was possible I have without a doubt 111% completely beaten my spinal cord injury.

This injury broke my neck but didn't break me or my voice.

To all you people out there in the world who live a very visible or invisible struggle - may your struggles never strip you of your confidence or ability to keep your voice loud, your heart full and your head strong.