Important Things In Life to Remember

Never underestimate the power of your own imagination. Dream big!

Sometimes, the most important thing you do in life aren't even on your list.

"The most important thing in communicationn is hearing the thiings that aren't said."

Life becomes clearer when we focus on the things that truly matter.

Don't stress over the little things....Unless your house is infested with mosquitos! 

Live life day by day; not month by month. Not year by year.

Do what makes you happy. Take chances. You never know unless you try.

Never be afraid to fail. You may struggle, but the only way you truly fail is if you give up.

"The best things in life are the people you love, the places you've seen, and the memories you've made along the day."

Be yourself. No one can do that better than you.

"No matter the situation never let your emotions overpower your intelligence."

"Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all."

Do something that scares you to death.

Life is the most beautiful thing in the world.

The only person you need to believe in you is you.

Do something today that your future self will thank you for.

Dream big, but don't forget to follow your dreams.

20 Positive Things To Tell Yourself

1)  I can do it.

2.) I believe in my abilities.

3.) I will get through any hurdles life brings me.

4.) I will take each day and make the most of it.

5.) I choose to be happy.

6.) Smiling is important.

7.) Be kind to others and others will be kind to you.

8.) It is great to be alive.

9.) I am fortunate and thankful for the experiences in my life.

10.) Be thankful for the little things.

11.) Take chances in life.

12.) My hard work is already and will continue to pay off.

13.) I love who I am.

14.) I'm heading in the right direction.

15.) I may SOMETIMES fall but I will ALWAYS get back up.

16.) I am human. I will make mistakes. Mistakes are what help me grow.

17.) I need to focus on who I am rather than dreaming of who I think I need to be.

18.) I am unique and have something to offer to the world.

19.) The past is behind me.

20.) How can I make myself better today?

My Perspective: Being In A Wheelchair

People become curious when they see something different. For me, the topic of being in a wheelchair is not something I mind talking about. I feel like it is great if people are comfortable asking questions about it.

When I started attending school in a wheelchair (probably about the middle of grade 9), it took me a very long time to get used to it. There were people that stared and stared and stared. Rude, right?

Not really. Well, at least not to me.

I'm not going to lie. I was nervous for quite some time showing up to school in a wheelchair. Would I have trouble making friends? It was uncomfortable at first because I was new to it. Taking a school bus in the winter even though I lived maybe ten minutes away from school, it felt weird. What would people think? What would people say? Well, nobody said anything about that.

I have noticed that some people want to ask but are too shy about it, so they just end up staring...which is okay with me. It is mostly just little kids that stare. When I am in, say, the mall, I guarantee that there will be some little kids that stop walking and stare at my wheelchair when I go by them.

The transition from walking to being on crutches to permanently being in a wheelchair was not easy, especially in regards to my emotions. I was big into sports. I loved playing sports. Going outside at recess throwing a football around; kicking around a soccer ball; Hitting a baseball... I can't express how much I enjoyed all of those sports.

One sport I had no problem playing while in a wheelchair is basketball. I discovered that basketball would be high on my to-do list, so I decided to attend wheelchair basketball practice at the University of Winnipeg. These practices were twice a week. I remember being pumped to go every time! It was one of the best experiences of my life.

Sure, being in a wheelchair takes away some abilities I could have if I wasn't in the wheelchair, but everybody has their own difficulties and journey in life. People find ways to accomplish their goals. Goals change. That's something that is quite exciting in life. I had to adapt and was able to learn some different things about myself.

In the earlier years of being in a wheelchair, there had been a small chance that I could walk again. I spent countless days doing my best to walk with a walker while wearing a brace that went from my toes right up my entire leg. It felt great to be able to walk even short distances every day. Unfortunately, the idea started to walk out the door (see what I did there?). It just became too difficult, as my legs became weaker.

That's okay.

When I was younger, and able to play sports, I had the dream of being an NFL player. There was that confidence that filled my heart. In my mind, it was going to happen. Realistically, the odds of it happening were never great either way, but can't blame me for dreaming!

The fact that I am in a wheelchair has not ruined my positivity. I have been able to cope with the fact of being in a wheelchair and have gotten to know myself better. My strength, my positivity, even my personality. This is who I am.

My goal is to just become more and more positive in life and I hope that I can inspire others to do the same.

Becoming A Writer: My Story

When I was in highschool, I was never truly set on what I wanted to do as a living. Sure I had ideas but they never fell through. From game designing to band member to being a coach for the Denver Broncos, those ideas never fell through.

As I have mentioned in a previous blog post, I am extremely shy when it comes to public speaking. Going to school, I was always afraid because I didn't know what to expect. I always assumed that I would have to speak to the class. That was my biggest fear in highschool. I kept telling myself that everything would be okay, that nobody would judge me, but it never put me at ease.

Courses I voluntarily chose to take included game design, culinary arts, welding, digital film making/pictures, psychology, among others.

Out of all of these classes, my favorite ones were game design and culinary arts. I mean, who doesn't love video games and food?

Game Design: When it came time to choose courses to take, game design really appealed to me. I thought it would be a blast to learn how to make my very own computer games. It was. We were given a booklet of instructions for creating our own games. It was very exciting to learn different functions!

Culinary Arts: If memory serves me correctly, I took culinary arts every year of highschool. Each year, it got more and more interesting and fun. I got to learn about not only how to cook dishes but the science behind food.  The entire course was exciting, however, the best part? You guessed it....Eating!

Anyways, I won't bore you with more course descriptions!

You're probably wondering how I went from these courses to deciding to start writing. The truth is, they don't really have a connection to it. The connection would be the fact that I really enjoyed English class. Most people I know say they hate writing essays. I found it to be quite enjoyable.

In college, I didn't do a ton of writing. In my three years, I took a computer science course (a lot of hands-on assignments) and Business Administrative Assistant (working with computer programs, a lot of numbers and terminology I had to learn). One time in my Business class, however, I had to write an essay. I received a very good grade on it. This is when I thought that writing would be the best thing for me.

During my short time writing, I have discovered that it is by no means easy. It is not easy but it is very enjoyable for me and I feel like I chose the right path. That's really what matters. Do something that you enjoy rather than something you really dislike doing as a career. What's the fun in that? Make sure you are having fun. 

Facing Your Demons

Sometimes, there are things that stay on your mind for such a long time that they take an emotional toll on you, making you either stressed, unhappy, and/or anxious.

As difficult as it is, in order to get closure, you need to face your demons.

Are you nervous about something? In my past experiences, I figured out that the best way to get through tough times is to just get them over with. Two examples I have are: 1.) Getting blood work done as soon as possible, rather than waiting; 2.) Public speaking: I hate (HATED!) public speaking in highschool. I was nervous to go to school quite often, due to the possibility I may have to talk in front of the class. It was not a fun feeling!

There have been times in my life where I had some conflict with somebody. Being shy and nervous, it was very difficult to come forward with the person and expressing my feelings. Eventually, however, I gathered up the courage to do it. It ended up really paying off for me. Not only were some issues resolved, I felt so much better.

When you are facing difficult times or situations, keep telling yourself, "I can do it. I can do it. I can and will get past this, whatever it takes."

Talking to somebody about your problems can help you feel more relaxed about any troubles you are experiencing. Knowing that you have somebody you can trust is crucial. But remember, trust is not built overnight. You need time to build it.

In time, I realized some things. For one, worrying about certain things is deemed a waste of time because some things will happen either way. You need to just think as positive as you can and let things take care of themselves.

Try and focus on the present. Worrying about something that is in the future (especially the distant future) is not good for your health. It will cause you anxiety and stress.

Take deep breaths. Deep breathing helps oxygen flow to your brain. It will help you relax.

Distract yourself with something else. Whether it's music, reading, television, etc., Doing something you live is a great way of keeping your mind off of things that are "eating your brain alive". The issues will need to be dealt with at some point but it is never good to let them get to you.

Probably the best thing I can say is that whatever is going on, time passes either way. Eventually things are going to be alright. You will get through these tough times, maybe with a few bumps and bruises. But never ever give up. You are very strong even if you don't see it right away.

Everything will be okay.

A List of Things That Make People Happy

"Waking up everyday makes me happy. God is an amazing God." - Leta Latimer

"My friends, my sisters, my favorite youtubers, and of course my video games." - Tiffany Scott

"Traveling" - Michelle Chamberlain 

"ultimately it comes down to family. At the end of the day, if your family is happy you should be happy." - Travis 

"My pets are way up there-the unconditional love they give you is the best" - Melody G

"One thing in life that makes me is creativity. I write and perform music, and seeing a song come into being from lowly beginnings is a really rewarding thing.." - Chad Fraser

"The one thing in life that makes me happy is my son." - Morgan Lynn

"My baby boy Rylan and my very soon other son Ignacio." - Kyle Tiedtke 

"Sunsets." - Austin Manak

"Sunny days outside." - Randa Zalman

"Food and movies. Totally my happy place 😊" - Chelsey Viau 

"I would say relaxing enjoying at my home with my wife. Nothing better!" - Luke Euerle

"When my students miss me, and I was only gone for a day or two. Puts a huge smile on my face." - Mandy Danczyk 

"Family." - Cheryl Hymiller Johnson

"This little human growing inside of me 😃 my boyfriend and my dog Max and cat Frankie!" - Brianne Dyck 

"A cruise in my car with some good tunes playing. If I had to choose one happy place,
 that'd be it." -  Kirk Vandersteen 

"Books! Pets! Movies!" - Bridget Leigh Shoemaker 

"Puppy cuddles!! And my boyfriend haha." - Kiera Brianne 

"Concerts" - Luke   

"My kids. No question." - Dennis DeuPree 

Montreal Experience and Major Surgery

The year 2011 was a very significant year in my life. I was in my last year of highschool when I was informed that I would need to have another surgery. I had already gone through this process many times by this point in my then-18-year life.

From stomach, to my back, to my head, this just seemed like another typical procedure. This time, it was my bladder.

My appointments and surgery all took place in a hospital in Montreal, Quebec. Every time my family and I had gone there, there always seemed to be something that went wrong. Our hotel was right downtown, not very far from the hospital that I went to.

 Downtown Montreal always smelled like cigarette smoke. It seemed like everyone smoked there. I couldn't believe it. This alone seemed like a good enough reason to order in. I wanted to stay out of the smell as much as I possibly could. Little did we know, the smoke wasn't the biggest problem we ran into during our stays.

One day we decided to go around the city on foot (or wheels) and find a place to have supper. After a while of looking around, we decided to head into McDonald's and order there. That's when something crazy took place. A fight between two women broke out right in front of me. I'm not sure what caused them to fight. Maybe they couldn't decide what to order? Just kidding.

Another time we were in Montreal, we were on our way to the hospital. As we were heading down the sidewalk, we hear something odd behind us. It didn't seem like a big deal until we noticed people running past us. Curiously, my mom looked back from where we just were, and noticed a man with a couple of beer bottles in his hands.

I never saw this man, because we were trying our best to leave the area as fast as possible to get away from this person. We needed to cross the street to get away from him. There was not very much time. He was coming towards us, throwing the bottles in our direction. Exiting the sidewalk onto oncoming traffic seems like a foolish thing to do, but that was our only option.

Everybody that was driving looked at the two of us as if we were the crazy people, but they must not have seen the guy coming towards us.

A little while later, we arrived at the hospital, shaken, scared and out of breath. We told the doctor what happened and he was extremely shocked. Apparently these situations never happen in downtown Montreal....Except when we arrive!

Now came the day of my surgery. I had to be there two hours prior of when it was schedule (8:30 am). They went over everything with me so I knew what was going to be happening. For me, I always say that the IV is the worst part, because I am asleep for the surgery.

This time, I was wrong.

The surgery was supposed to take roughly 6 hours. But surprise! It took 14 hours due to the fact that, when they went in, they discovered that my appendix had either burst or been taken out during a prior surgery. The appendix was supposed to be a major help in my surgery, but they had to go in a different direction in regards to how they were going to proceed.

Of course, when you are the one having surgery, it feels like it takes literally two seconds due to the anesthetic. For my mom, it felt like a lifetime. She felt helpless and alone because she saw the nurses leave at the end of their shifts while I was still in surgery.

As I mentioned earlier, the surgery was 14 hours long. When I woke up, my arms were completely numb and asleep. I couldn't move them. It was very difficult to get from the operating table into my bed, but it had to be done somehow, someway,

Other than the numbness in my arms, I felt very good post-op. No pain, even though I had two tubes in my stomach connecting to my bladder. If it weren't for my numb arms, I would have been able to head home in just a couple of days. However, the tingling feeling stayed for over a week, postponing my departure from the city I never wanted to be in ever again.

They had a device that dispensed pain medication for if I needed it, but I never really did. The nurses told me that I should press the button a couple of times, just in case. I listened to them. I felt extremely drowsy a little while after. The medication started to kick in. For some reason, they thought it would be a good idea for me to get out of bed that same day. Oh boy, that was a big mistake!

I got into my wheelchair, and started to feel the medication kick in shortly after. You see, I was and am unable to walk as it is, so if I fell, there would be hardly anything someone could do. After a while, it was time to get back into bed. However, I was too weak to do so. There were a bunch of people trying to lift me back into bed but they were unable to. A janitor had to come and help get me into bed to rest.

It was just another scary situation that occurred!

During the surgery, they inserted two tubes into my stomach connecting to my bladder. One of the tubes was the main one that had to stay in for a couple of months. The other one was just a precaution tube in case something went wrong. Thankfully nothing backfired and that precaution tube was taken out not long afterwards.

I got homesick. I just wanted to be home. The thought of being in the hospital made me very upset. I wanted to see my stepdad and sister badly. After all I went through those days, being away from home really took a toll on me.

My sister was still in school so it wasn't easy for her to miss time to come all the way from Manitoba to see me.  But they came! It made me feel so much better that I got to see them. I don't know how much longer I could have been away from them.

To my surprise, we were sent home while I still had one of the tubes in my stomach. I am surprised that they didn't keep me there longer because this was a very intense situation. When we arrived home, we discovered another obstacle. How was I going to get up the stairs? Luckily, a neighbor of ours came over and helped lift me in my wheelchair up the stairs.

Phew. Overcame that obstacle!

I entered my room, and then when I left, decided to wheel out backwards. Bad idea. I ran into the doorway and my wheelchair tipped backwards. There I was, scared on the floor. I was sure the tube was coming out because of the fall. Luckily it didn't move!

Eventually, teachers from my highschool started to come everyday to catch me up on what I had missed. I started getting into the routine of doing homework. It felt very weird being home all the time.

Finally I was back at school. It felt good to be back. It wasn't very long until graduation. I had missed so much time away from highschool that year! I graduated a couple of months later.

I have not been back to Montreal due to being too old to go to that hospital. But you could say that this is a relief! Who knows what would have happened next. It has been quite a journey since that surgery and I am glad it is over.

Positivity Quotes

Here are some quotes on positivity that I found inspiring. Please enjoy!

“There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle, or the mirror that reflects it.”  – Edith Wharton

“Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy.” – Norman Vincent Peale

“The only place where your dream becomes impossible is in your own thinking.” – Robert H Schuller

“If you think you can do a thing or think you can’t do a thing, you’re right.” – Henry Ford

“No matter what the situation, remind yourself “I have a choice.” – Deepak Chopra

Life is about making an impact, not making an income.--Kevin Kruse

Every strike brings me closer to the next home run.--Babe Ruth

Life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. –Charles Swindoll

The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now. –Chinese Proverb

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. –Steve Jobs

If you hear a voice within you say “you cannot paint,” then by all means paint and that voice will be silenced. –Vincent Van Gogh

The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be. –Ralph Waldo Emerson

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams.  Live the life you have imagined. –Henry David Thoreau

When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life.  When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up.  I wrote down ‘happy’.  They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life. –John Lennon

 Fall seven times and stand up eight. –Japanese Proverb

You can’t fall if you don’t climb.  But there’s no joy in living your whole life on the ground. –Unknown

A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new. – Albert Einstein
The battles that count aren't the ones for gold medals. The struggles within yourself--the invisible battles inside all of us--that's where it's at. –Jesse Owens

It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop. –Confucius

You can’t use up creativity.  The more you use, the more you have. –Maya Angelou

Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning. –Gloria Steinem

This or That

Here is a "This or That" post! I hope you enjoy. Post in the comments if you have any I should add!

Coffee or Tea? French Vanilla!
Wine or Beer? Neither
Bacon or Sausage? Sausage
Pasta or Rice? Rice
Scrambled or Fried Eggs? Fried
Wheat or White Bread? White
English Muffin or Bagel? Bagel all the way
Potato Salad or Pasta Salad? Pasta Salad

Baked or Mashed Potatoes? Mashed

Hamburger or Hot Dog? Hot Dog

Cake or Pie? Pie

Chicken or Steak? Steak

Grilled Chicken or Fried Chicken? Grilled

Chocolate or Vanilla? Depends but usually chocolate

Ketchup or Mustard? Mustard

Pickles or Cucumbers? Pickles

Fudge or Caramel? Fudge

Cheetos or Doritos? Doritos

Pepsi or Coke? Coke

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor? Chocolate or Black Cherry

Strawberries or Blueberries? Strawberries

Fruit or Vegetables? Vegetables

Smarties or M&M's? M&M's

Nachos or French Fries? Either! You can put lots of things on either.

Honey Mustard or BBQ Sauce? Honey Mustard! 

Pancakes or Waffles? Pancakes

Dill Pickles or Sweet Pickles? Sweet for sure

Dark Chocolate or White Chocolate? White

Apple Juice or Orange Juice? Hmmm.....Orange

Random Act of Kindness

It is always nice to see kindness spread around in the world.

 If you see somebody struggling, your first reaction should be to go and do your best to try and help them, whatever they happen to be struggling with. Even a simple smile could make somebody’s day better.

 Whether it’s helping somebody cross the street while traffic is heavy, helping somebody pick up groceries they accidently dropped…Whatever it is. You don’t know how much small gestures can help somebody.

A common act of kindness I have seen and heard about plenty of times is when somebody pays for somebody else’s lunch. This is simply called “paying it forward.” It is a wonderful feeling pulling up to the drive thru window and being told that the person directly ahead of you paid for your order.

New family moving into the house beside yours? Go over and introduce yourself. Tell them your name, and always greet with a smile. When you are about to be around somebody, a smile is a simple way of showing that you are friendly. Ask them to tell you about themselves, but don’t forget to do the same. I am sure they would love to get to know you. You could also offer to show them around your area in which you live in. Everybody loves a tour guide!

You may see somebody struggling to catch up to important papers that slipped out of their car. I am sure this has even happened to most of you. It is frustrating trying to catch up to whatever may have gotten out of your vehicle. I know that it would put a smile on my face seeing somebody going out of their way to come over and help.

Of course, random acts of kindness don’t have to be difficult. As I mentioned above, one simple smile usually goes a long way in cheering somebody up, whether you know if something is wrong or not. Sometimes, you can smile at somebody whose day is going extremely well, and make it even better.

In some instances (if weather allows), it is a nice surprise to just show up to somebody’s front door, knock, and ask them if they need their grass cut. No strings attached. No payment necessary. Just the thought of helping others with yard work.

 If you work in an office, a nice gesture would be to show up with some treats for your coworkers…But NEVER forget your boss! You can try and be sneaky and ask everybody you work with what their favorite beverage is, show up the next day with those beverages and surprise them! Doing this would sure get their day off to a great start.

Last but not least, I feel like it is important to say something nice to somebody about themselves. Everybody loves to hear kind things that you have to say about them, to them. Letting someone know you appreciate them and are happy to know them could really make them feel loved. If you like something about a person, it is always a great idea to go up to them and tell them. Compliments are definitely a confidence booster. Everybody could use that.

There are so many ways you can help improve somebody’s day. Each day brings new opportunities to make days brighter for somebody. It doesn’t matter how many people you influence in a day. It matters how many lives you influence in a lifetime. Never hold back on saying kind things to others!

Not only does helping others improve their outlook of life, but it also has a major impact on the person who is helping. You should feel great about every good deed you help make reality. Never feel ashamed. Never ask “was that enough?” Any small gesture you do for somebody makes a difference. It is important for you to know the impact you made.

One good deed a day makes a difference. Always remember that.

Life With A Disability

As anyone could imagine, living life with a disability is never and never will be an easy part of life. But, you see, life is not supposed to be easy. You will go through some amazing times but you also will go through some more difficult times in life.

To be quite honest with you, I do not like the word "disability." Yeah, sure there are some things that you are unable to accomplish depending on what "disability" you have. But there are and will be certain things in life that some people told you straight to your face that you would never be able to do, that you will find a way to prove them wrong.

And that's just what happened to me. When I was born, the doctors quickly determined that I had a condition called spina bifida Myelomeningocele.

Myelomeningocele is just one of four stages of spina bifida.  It is the most severe. With this condition, the nerves in the spine are messed up, affecting what you would call everyday tasks, such as walking and moving your extremities (legs).

You see, when I was born, there was doubt about whether I would live long. There was also doubt that, if I did survive, that I would ever take one step. I proved those doctors wrong. I was able to walk (even with a few bumps in the road) until I was about twelve or thirteen years old. I had to overcome some obstacles but here I am.

I have had many surgeries to help me with some things in my life, starting with right when I was born. I had surgery to have a shunt placed in my head. I have had a couple surgeries on my spine. I have had stomach surgeries. There was a time where I had to have casts on my legs. A metal bar that was attached to one actually went through my foot and caused it to get infected. We couldn't go anywhere without it stinking up the areas around me!

It was December 13, 2002. I was 9 years old. My family and I moved from Ontario to a small town just outside of Winnipeg, Manitoba. I was a shy kid. Going to a new school was extremely terrifying to me. I didn't know what to do. Everything seemed different. It took me quite a while to get used to the new town.

At this point in my life, I was walking, running, and loved to play sports. Playing football and soccer every recess and gym class were two of my favorite things to do in elementary school. I didn't know this at the time, but just a couple years later, the ability to play those two sports were going to be taken away from me.

During the middle of grade 8, when my time in elementary school was coming to a close, I started having severe pain in my left knee. The pain wouldn't leave. Some days it just got worse and worse. I was on crutches shortly after the pain started, because it got to the point where I couldn't stand without support.

The pain eventually got so bad that I couldn't support my legs very well. There were multiple times in grade 8 where, on my way home from school, I had to drop my backpack onto the road or else I would go with it. Sometimes I was too late.

Over the course of a couple months, I lost the ability to move my feet. That progressed to both of my legs.

By the start of highschool, there was talk about me being in a wheelchair. I was still on crutches for a couple months of my first year of highschool but I knew that life in a wheelchair was fast approaching.

In highschool, the classes were much larger. Like I mentioned earlier, I was a very shy person. One day, I showed up to school in my new wheelchair. To be honest, I was embarrassed. I knew I shouldn't have been but it was different. I felt like I stood out way too much. I wanted to be under the radar.

I was very nervous about showing up in a wheelchair. The thought of people staring at me completely freaked me out. After quite some time, I got used to it and it didn't end up being a huge issue for me. I understood that people were not trying to be rude. They were simply curious.

I was asked by a teacher to explain the reasoning why I was not walking. It caught me off guard. I didn't really know what to do so I lied. I just said that I really hurt my ankle. Of course, everybody realized that was a lie after a little while. I couldn't pull off that lie for very long!

Anyway, back to sports. My ability to participate in some sports was not completely gone. There were a couple things I could still do in gym class. One of my favorite sports to play was basketball. I loved it. I even signed up to play wheelchair basketball at one of the major universities in the city.

At this point, I was a teenager. Unfortunately, the rules were the rules. I was unable to actually play in a game due to my age. The only thing I was allowed to do was participate in practice, and I am so incredibly grateful that I was able to live that experience.

When it was time for driving lessons, I was still able to partially move my legs but it was definitely something I really had to focus on. It was risky. It was dangerous. I thought that everything would turn out alright and I would be able to drive like everybody else can normally. I was giddy with excitement.

Not long after I finished driver's ed, I realized that I was unable to drive in the condition that I was in. Hand controls were installed in my yellow VW Golf. Starting in-car lessons was quite scary for me. There was always that voice at the back of my mind saying that it would be an extremely difficult task for me. That voice didn't stop me from attending many weeks of driving practice. I thought it was a lot of fun.

However, after careful thinking and consideration, I felt it would be too dangerous for me. There were too many things for me to focus on while driving. My brain couldn't handle it.

 Even though I truly miss participating in the sports I love, I am extremely grateful for the experiences I have had in my life. There isn't a day in my life where I don't think I am blessed to be alive and able to do the things I truly am able to do. Life is truly amazing and, sure, I do wish some things ended up different, but I love my life and whatever obstacles come up in it, I know that I have overcome so many of those obstacles already and I can do whatever I believe in.

My Denver Broncos Experience

It was July of 2003. I was 10 years old. Living in Canada, the popular sport is hockey. I was new to football but it didn’t take me long to get hooked on it. I live over 15 hours from Denver but had the opportunity to visit for the first time.

I couldn’t sleep. Anxiously waiting to get out of bed and prepare for one of the biggest and exciting days of my life.

As we arrived, we were directed to the handicap parking lot. At this point in my life, I started having trouble walking. I had to start using crutches because my legs started to lose their strength. As we exited our vehicle, we were greeted by employees who told us where we were to go. We ended up being placed in an area right by the doors the players and coaches came out of.

It was an extremely hot day. We needed a lot of sunblock and water. Although the heat was almost unbearable, it was worth it. Without this experience, I wouldn’t be as excited about the NFL as I am today. I would absolutely be a different person. Football is a big part of who I am and what I have become.

I didn’t know what to expect. Let me tell you: it was absolutely more than I expected. See, back then, they had an extremely cool system for people in wheelchairs. Those people were seated in a section right by where the players and coaches came out of their training building. I was mind-blown by these athletes walking by and talking to us for a short period of time (they had to get ready for practice so there wasn’t much time to chat).

However, some of the players did stop quickly for pictures. I had the privilege of meeting players such as quarterback Jake Plummer, running backs Tatum Bell and Mike Anderson, fullback Kyle Johnson, tight end Nate Jackson, wide receiver Ashley Lelie, John Lynch and last but not least, future hall of fame cornerback Champ Bailey.

Then, there was the team store, located between the practice fields and the parking lots. There were so many items to buy there, from t-shirts to hats to pictures to helmet replicas. But not only that. In the back, they had a section for coaches and players to sit and sign autographs for fans. It was unbelievable that even after 2 hour practice sessions, up to 5 coaches/players sat there for however long and took the time to meet their fans.

In this area of the store, there was a huge lineup for autographs. There I was, waiting to head down the line. I couldn’t believe it. I was about to meet some great players. It was unbelievable how kind they all were. One player, defensive tackle Michael Myers, even offered to give me his water bottle. At this stage in my life, I was extremely shy. I said no thank you. Oh boy, what a mistake!

I look at that experience to be pretty funny now. I should have taken it. It’s not every day you get to meet famous people. It’s also rare for them to offer you something.

I also had the privilege of meeting their super bowl winning head coach at the time: Mike Shanahan. He stopped to talk with my family and I and I got a picture with him. In the world of sports, he has got to be the nicest person I have ever had the chance to meet.  

We were in Denver for many days, attending training camp for just a couple of those days. While we were there, one day it started to rain. Everybody was scattering around to get to their vehicles while we see head coach Mike Shanahan coming our direction. He looks at us and says, “Follow behind my vehicle.”

As we entered our own vehicle, we couldn’t believe what just happened! The greatest coach in Denver Broncos history invited MY family to their dome. Looking back, I still cannot believe that happened. It just goes to show what kind of a person coach Shanahan is.

Yup! He brought us inside of their practice bubble, where literally nobody is allowed to enter unless you work for the team, or, like we were: Invited! The media was very confused but we had joy in telling them what actually took place at their outside facility.

What drew him to my family and me? Why us? Nobody is allowed to enter the practice bubble unless you work for the team. It was such an incredible experience. Honestly, I was so shocked and it

It just goes to show what kind of person coach Shanahan is. I will never in my life forget this moment. He had such an enormous impact on me.

Of course, I have been to Denver and Broncos training camp many times since then. I have been to many games (6, to be exact).

From every pass to wide receivers, running backs running between the tackles, every interception thrown, I started to become more and more familiar with the concept of the game.

My interest in the game of football only grew from there, and what better of a team could it have been? Being a Denver Broncos fan has definitely changed my life in some of the most positive and amazing ways.