Last Fourth of July weekend, life threw me a curveball. I fell off a two-story dock at Lake Travis in Austin, Texas landing on my back into a boat below. This accident resulted in the shattering of my T9/10 vertebrae and epidural bleeding that extended up to C2. The swelling in my central canal damaged my spinal cord at the T7 level. All thanks to God that I still have my hands and my head fully functional because it could have been so much worse. However, this means I cannot feel or move anything below the top half of my top two abs. About two months after the injury, I regained core motor function in my lower abs and obliques.

As you can imagine, the journey since July 1, 2023, has been transformative. I've dedicated myself to working my ass off in rehabilitation while still striving to live my best life! There are so many things in this world that are taken for granted as I have come to learn but these are just merely obstacles in the way. Within every obstacle is an opportunity to improve our condition.

Progress/Updates:

· Participating at REACT neuro gym sessions three times a week for two hours each.

· Undergoing acupuncture three times weekly to regain bowel and bladder control.

· Attending Baylor Scott & White Hospital twice a week for exoskeleton walking sessions.

· Engaging in a weekly two-hour functional fitness workout.

· Receiving mental therapy twice a week.

· Fitted for leg braces and undergoing physical therapy.

· Collaborating with Baylor and my insurance company to secure an at-home exoskeleton walking device, valued at $150,000.

Short and Long Term Goals:

· Boosting my self-esteem and confidence.

· Moving to an accessible apartment for greater independence.

· Continuing my rehabilitation journey.

· Taking up adaptive golf with the Vertacat stand-up-and-play cart.

· Starting a non-profit to make golf publicly accessible at local municipal courses through private and state funding.

· Getting back into the gym and who knows, maybe even competing as an IFBB wheelchair bodybuilder. At least I have an excuse to miss leg day now…

· Applying to the class 30 Adaptive Training Foundation Redefine Bootcamp over the summer.

· Planning to return to work around July.

Asking for financial assistance is something I approach with great reluctance, mindful of the support and love I've received from friends and family throughout my life. These relationships have shaped me into the person I am: strong, resilient, kind, goofy, compassionate, fun, and loving young man. I have met some incredible people along this journey giving me so much hope for recovery but more so for a rewarding and fulfilling life.

The joke I like to make is it is financially irresponsible to become paraplegic! I wheely appreciate any little bit that you can find in your heart to donate to my cause. Your contributions directly aid in covering the extensive costs of rehabilitation, recovery, and adapting to life as a wheelchair user. Progress, no matter how slow, is worth working for. In every situation, life asks us a question, and our actions are the answer. My fight to walk again won’t stop and neither will passion to give everything I’ve got to love and live this new life!