How Cory Hahn Made It To The Majors

Happy Sunday everyone!

For those of you who have not been following this series on my blog, it is called A Daily Dose of Perspective - which is a collaboration of interviews I have conducted with a select few individuals that I consider to be incredible people - inside and out. These are the people in our society that continue to inspire, motivate and empower all of us to do better and be more with ourselves.

I felt their perspectives on different subjects would be not only eye opening but also influencial - as we can take some of their advice and incorporate it into our daily lives. These people are not perfect - nor do they intend to be. They have all had something that they have had to deal with - but the way they were able to overcome adversity in whatever aspect of their life it was they managed to get through it gracefully. And most importantly, when things got rough they never gave in - they kept going.

This series was not just about people getting injured or people going through an extremely hard time in their life. This series showcases people who have stared fear straight in the eye and charged right through it. And now it gives me great pleasure to introduce my good friend, Cory Hahn.

Cory's life and mine were weirdly similiar. We both played baseball, well softball for me our entire lives. We ate, slept and breathe baseball. But we didn't ever know each other. I went to Edison High School in Huntington Beach and Cory attended Mater Dei High School which is in Santa Ana. I was injured my sophomore year of high school while Cory went on to destroy records at Mater Dei. He was without a doubt the best baseball player Mater Dei has ever seen.

You can't teach talent like that, it was like Cory was born to play in the Major Leagues.

Cory was drafted in the 2010 MLB draft by the San Diego Padres - but decided to go play college baseball at Arizona State University instead. In one of his first starts at a college-athlete Cory was paralyzed from the neck down sliding into second base against New Mexico in the first weekend of his freshman season at Arizona State in 2011.

Throughout being injured, I had heard a lot of stories about other kids being injured which broke my heart a little more every time I heard about someone breaking their neck. But when one of my friends from Mater Dei told me about Cory Hahn's accident on the bases - I felt a piece of my heart break even more than before. Like I said, I didn't know Cory but I knew we were supposed to know each other.

The first time I met Cory was at Project Walk down in Carlsbad. I think he knew as much about my as I did about him - which was pretty cool. What are the odds that two baseball high school athletes from Orange County break the exact same vetebraes on their neck? So of course, we had a lot in common. Some people say that Cory is the male version of me and I am the female version of him because we are so alike.

As every spinal cord injury is miles different from the next, Cory and I had found a friendship in the most unlikely of spots; through our injury. I woudn't say that I'm misunderstood but going through a injury like this can make you feel like your kind of on an island with everything that goes on with your body. You find it hard to express your feelings because you can't even understand them yourself. But Cory isn't just an amazing athlete, he's an even more incredible friend.

Lets let you hear it from him....

Give me a little background about yourself.

First off I'm 23 years old and grew up in Corona, CA and currently reside in Phoenix, AZ. My hobbies are pretty simple as being in the working world now I tend to try and spend most of my free time with good people and building relationships with the ones closest to me. Although it's hard to travel often also enjoy traveling and seeing different parts of our country and our world as a whole.

What did doctors tell you after your diagnosis?

I was basically given a list of things I would never be able to do on my own again and the chance of gaining any sort of movement back was next to impossible.

How were you able to deal with the change?

I'll be honest at first it was extremely difficult and I'd be lying to you if it still was not difficult to this day but I have been able to now look at life as a challenge and I've had a burning desire to conquer the goals I've set in front of me. I've also been very fortunate to have such a great support group including family and friends to pick me up on days I'm feeling down and it motivates me to work even harder at achieving my goals because I realize that I'm not in this battle alone and so I'm not only working hard for myself but also for those who have been in my corner through it all.

Was there any days you thought about giving up and throwing in the towel?

Being the extremely competitive person that I am I never put "giving up" in my mind. Although there are days of extreme frustration i have never thought giving up was the answer and turned it more into motivation to conquer this injury.

What was the hardest challenge you had to go through physically in the beginning?

Honestly other than the physical change of my body there isn't one specific thing. The hardest challenge was accepting the fact that for the time being I was going to have to rely on the help of others to get through my day. It's a tough pill to swallow when you have to accept you've lost your independence but I've also used that struggle as a reason to push and push to gain back all the independence I can.

How has baseball helped you through your injury?

I truly feel that my experiences with baseball over the years has played a huge part in my recovery. The game has taught me that nothing comes easy and that hard work and dedication to be successful will be the biggest factors in my recovery. Also the natural competitiveness I developed in the game has a big impact as I now looked at my situation as a challenge and I started setting goals to achieve. The game has also taught me that ultimately we all will fail from time to time but if we pick ourselves up and don't give up and keep fighting each day then we will pull through times of struggle and come out on top.

Has being involved in sports changed your attitude throughout your spinal cord injury journey?

I believe that sports have been the main reason for my ability to keep a positive frame of mind. Through sports we learn things like teamwork and hard work are key components to achieving greatness and I have been able to realize my support group is my team and based on how hard I work will determine how many new goals I'll reach. So I truly believe being involved in sports has made this battle worth fighting.

What has been one of the biggest personal accomplishments you have made since your injury?

In this new life, I live every accomplishment is big for me. Whether it's putting a shirt on for the first time or driving a car they all have equal value to me because each accomplishment gets me closer to my ultimate goals. I will say though some of my favorite accomplishments are driving again, wrapping up my degree in business communications and management in 4 years despite missing a year of school, and lastly becoming fully employed with a job I love.

How do you evaluate success? Failure?

I look at success as a individual to individual thing. I believe that success comes from your own personal drive and desire to be the best you can be in every aspect in life. If you don't necessarily reach all of your personal goals that doesn't mean you're not successful. I believe that if you never give up on the things you truly care about and always fight for them then you're life is a success. The same goes for failure. Failure to me isn't failing to achieve a goal or accomplish something, failure isn't when you fall but when you refuse to get back up and keep moving forward.

Tell us about your new job.

As you've probably figured out by now I was a baseball player and truly loved the game more than anything else in my life and when that got taken away from me it was tough but fortunately the Arizona Diamondbacks brought me on as an employee in their front office. On a daily basis I am involved in our amateur and professional scouting departments, mainly in the front office but I also get out and scout the best talent our country has to offer. It's a pretty special feeling to help our organization get better and hopefully bring a World Series Championship back to Arizona. I like to say if I can't play the game, then I'm doing the next best thing.

What’s the difference between you and most of the other people?

I truly think we all are unique in different ways and that's no different for myself. I think the big difference that I'm proud of is my day in and day out determination to be the best person I can be in all aspects in life. I thrive off of accomplishing my goals and treating the people close to me the best I can because I know how lucky I am to have so many great people in my life. This injury has truly shown me that no matter the circumstance I refuse to give up.

Describe your character in one word.

Compassionate.

Best advice you’ve ever gotten?

Never give up on the things that you truly believe will happen.

Is there anyone who inspired you and made you who you are today?

My Dad hands down. I'm lucky to have a family like I do as they all have helped me along the way but my dad has sacrificed so much for me. He went from Dad/baseball coach to Dad/caregiver and he put his whole life on hold to take care of me and allow me to chase my dreams. It's safe to say that I've put in a tremendous amount of hard work throughout this journey but I wouldn't have been able to have the opportunity to accomplish the things I have if it wasn't for my dad helping me get through my days and motivating me to go after my dreams and reassuring me he would be there every step of the way. I truly have the best dad/best friend in the world.

What would you tell someone who thinks their goal/dream is out of their reach?

I would share with them my experiences and let them know that anything that we want to achieve in this world is possible when you put in all the hard work/determination as well as truly believe in yourself that you will achieve your dreams and goals. It's amazing the things we are capable of when we have faith in ourselves.

Bottom line don't let anyone ever tell you that you can't accomplish something because only you have the power to determine what you're capable of in this world. It's truly amazing what we can achieve when we find that burning desire to achieve it

So Cory went into his accident with a Major League Athletic abilities and came out with Major League drive and determination. I think it's hard to decide which is more the powerful trait to have but what I know for sure is that there is absolutely no stopping this kid.

The Arizona Diamondbacks selected Cory in the 34th round of the 2013 Major League Draft on June 8 and employed him within the organization. Although many thought he'd be a MLB player right now, I think the big man upstairs has a even bigger plan for him.

Baseball will always be part of his plan - Cory Hahn continues to change the game all together.

You might be thinking what could be bigger than Major League Baseball?

And here's your answer....

Cory Hahn.

Xoxo,

Natalie