At 7 years old . He loves baseball. The team plays at the drop of a hat. It's not necessary to schedule a game. The team wins and loses the first half of the season. The boy just loves to play. He starts the tradition of throwing his cap into the air and yelling "Play ball". Soon it seems to be infectious. The second half of the season the team loses only one game. The team of short shits is going to win the championship. Three games before "Thee game" he falls off a rock wall in a game of hide and seek and breaks his leg.
He won't quit. In traction for three months. The bone slowly mends. Always in good spirits. When he gets the cast it's a body cast. It runs from the middle of his chest all the way down the right leg then halfway down the left. the right leg was broken at the femur.
Months go by. Always adapting and tired of the crutches he learns balance. Walking in a 60 pound body cast with only one leg that bends. Never gives up.

Five years pass.
Living in Michigan, Snowmobiling is the thing to do. Not old enough to handle the large racing machines of the time he's always the passenger. That suits him just fine. Always riding with his older cousin. Whenever he could.
One evening, he is asked to go for a ride. Though tired, he jumps on. Helmets were not even thought of in those day. That would quickly change. Half asleep and hanging onto his cousin they make a hard turn sideways on a hill. Losing his grip he falls off, slides down the hill going head first into a tree.
As if in a dream he wakes up lying face down in the snow. Looking down a snow covered back road he can't stand. He can't walk. Dragging himself with one arm then nothing.
Three days later he wakes up in the hospital. Head shaved on one side and bandaged. Not able to talk, right side paralyzed. He is told that he wil be in a wheelchair the rest of his life and that it will take a year to learn how to talk again.
Never take the negative as truth.
Two year later he's running. Small speach impediment and only a loss of touch sensitivity in the right hand. That would improve in 20 years. He even learns to play guitar. Not as quickly as most but the magic is intoxicating.

Never give up.

15 years pass.

Now living in Eastern Washington. Working in a Saw Mill. Working hard to raise a family. 12 hrs, 7 days a week. His wife leaves to visit family. Having some time to himself he rides his bike to the store, on the way home a truck turns in front of him. Trying to avoid being hit he turns the bike, but it's too late. He is sucked under. Now being drug he grabs the under side of the trucks suspension. He hears a snap. His pelvis is broken. The skin being ripped away on his back.

The driver stops. Thinking that he lost the spare tire from under his truck. He looks under the truck, seeing the young man. Jumps back in the truck and backs up. Snap!!!! The pelvis is broken again.

The EMT's arrive. Not have dealt with something like this they are slow to administer the correct first aid. The young man knows from the past that he has to stay conscience. He puts his hand over his face to tell them he needs oxygen. He continues to force himself to stay conscience until he's in the hostpital. Then he lets the lights go out.

Six months of laying on his wounds, because of the broken pelvis, has atrophied his muscles. Ironically the only way to rebuild the muscles is to ride a stationary bike. Then he starts rock climbing.

Again, you will be in a wheelchair, you will never work again. The man never listens. Stubborn.

When he got back to work he could run the length of a 66ft floor Chain that moved lumber out of the mill in 3 seconds flat.

Never give up. Never believe what your told is the only way. It may not be true.

This is a true story. I know because the boy was ME.