<p>I shattered my neck in a traumatic mountain bike crash. Now, I have two titanium rods and sixteen screws holding my neck together and protecting my spinal cord. Recovery meant persevering through intense physical therapy but I quickly realized my mental health needed focus too. “Forever Stoked” was my life persona before the accident and I used it to get me through the physical and mental challenges of my life’s reset. It’s more than just a sticker on the walker that I pushed for 8-miles while wearing my neck brace – it was my recovery mantra. </p>

Being In The Moment: Using focus and intent to persevere through life challenges.

A traumatic mountain bike accident left me with a shattered neck and a severe spinal injury that required my neck to be fused from C3 to T2 with two titanium rods and sixteen screws. Prior to the accident I lived a very active life: surfing, running, hiking and of course, biking. After the accident, it took several days for the doctors to determine the full extent of my spinal injury with no indication of what the outcome would be for future physical ability. After any trauma, the road to recovery through physical therapy is different for everyone. This is my journey. My purpose is to share the physical and mental challenges that I had to push through to get me back on my feet, even completing a half-marathon, swimming and hiking again. It wasn’t an easy journey (and it’s far from over) but I’ve learned a lot about myself, fear, stress, gratitude and the tools I needed to make my comeback happen. I might even say that it took breaking my neck, to get my head screwed on straight. I hope these episodes help you in some way to overcome whatever physical or mental health challenge you are facing today.