GonzoUCF

Thank you! I looked through your website and I think writing things down is going to be a big thing. I had some emotional issues while recovering (19yrs old and facing the possibility of never walking again can take its toll on a guy) so I found that writing what I was feeling ended up giving me that outlet that I needed. It's also nice to go back and read it every once in a while when something petty creeps in your mind and gets you negative. Stay positive because you're alive for a reason! If you need someone to talk to, keep my username and feel free to reach out! Here's a little something I wrote when I was in New York thinking about my accident. Missed my stop by about 3 stations on the subway because I felt that inspiration and couldn't stop:

http://drgonzonyc.tumblr.com/post/363636922/an-awakening-on-i-4

Spinal fusion here too. A girl was 3x the legal limit drunk and was driving on the wrong side of the interstate. She ran head on into the car I was in killing my friend sitting in the passenger seat, shattering the leg of the driver and causing internal injuries to the guy sitting next to me. I was in the backseat, passenger side and had the following injuries: Broken back, wrist shattered, femur shattered, lungs collapsed, collar bone broken, ribs broken, ruptured gallbladder, liver failure (briefly), and a slew of cuts and scrapes from them having to use the jaws of life to get me out of the car.

Doctors told my parents I wasn't going to live. Once I survived the critical 48/72hrs they said I would live but would never walk again. After they saw movement in my legs they said I would walk but would need a cane for the rest of my life. It was a long TOUGH road but thankfully I could walk in a room and you'd never know anything happened to me.

My advice to you is to keep good people around you. Keep family and friends that will push you when you get down because you will need it. I was a pretty active guy before the accident and to have to depend on people for everything just changed my life so much. After I recovered (luckily, much faster than they anticipated) I had a whole new outlook on life. You survive something like that and petty issues don't seem to matter as much as they used to. After my accident I moved to New York (from Florida) for 5 years, experienced more in the time since my accident than I ever could have imagined, decided to move back to Florida and now I'm studying to get my masters in the field I always dreamed of but never thought I was good enough or smart enough to accomplish. We only get so long in this life and you have to be sure to make the most of it. Good luck spinal fusion brotha! (or sistah!)

Edit: Removing sexism