My ideas
Okay, I’m going to try my own little experiment here. I’m going to test my theories about the way the world works, really put it on the line and see what happens.
I believe that if we want something in the world, we have to take action, we have to ask, we have to be prepared for the best, and we have to be grateful for the gifts we receive.
See, I think that people want to help people out. I think that the reason we live, that our purpose in life, is to love. I think that people have a desire, no a need, to make a significant difference in the world, to contribute.
And I would really appreciate some help about now. I would be eternally grateful, because what I’m asking for is for my friends to help pay for the surgery that now allows me to walk.
I have about 412 friends that I think will help out, if I know you the way I think I do, and I’m asking you to contribute some money to help me pay my hospital and surgery bills. If everyone puts in $20.51, that would cover all my expenses. Please give at least that much and then read the story below.
Please help out by donating now...
About three weeks ago, on December 6, I had a paragliding accident and broke my back. It was totally my fault and I was an idiot.
What happened was that a paraglider pilot crashed into the trees in front of me. And they crashed where no one but me knew where they were.
So, I circled around them, got a GPS bearing on their location, told them to wait (like they had a choice as they hung in the trees), and tried to get down fast to get help.
Well, to lose altitude quickly I did wingovers, which are acrobatic maneuvers. I’ve done hundreds of them, but never so low, and I came out of my last one too low. My glider pitched up, I fell outof the sky from about 30 feet (10 meters), and landed on my butt.
I’ve rolled cars, been in the ring with Olympians, sparred with World Champions, gone over a waterfall, been bitten by a brown recluse spider… but I’ve never felt such pain before. There was this insane searing pain all down my lower back. It was red and hot and screaming bloody murder.
I knew I was in trouble. I’ve read enough on the internet and seen enough DVD’s to know that the accident I just had usually results in either death or paralysis. Obviously, I wasn’t dead, but I wasn’t sure I could move or if I wanted to risk moving in case my back was broken but not cutting into my spinal cord yet.
I laid there screaming for help and a few Koreans came who didn’t speak any English. Then my best friends, all Korean, started showing up. One of them held my hand, one of them called an ambulance.
I asked my third friend to touch my leg, I wanted to know if I could feel anything in my legs. I could. Then I told my brain to move my feet and asked him if they were really moving. He said they were.
I can’t tell you how I felt at that moment. To know that I was probably going to be able to walk. It wasn’t really bliss, or relief, or happiness. It was something like all those. I might have been hurting worse than I ever had before, but I was probably more grateful in that moment than I have been at any time in my life. I could move my legs and I could feel pressure on them!
I figured I was golden, but wow was I wrong.
We got to the hospital and took X-rays. The doctors said there were no problems at all, and I could just stay at their clinic taking pain killers and if I didn’t get better in a few days, they’d send me to a bigger hospital at that time. Thank God my friends didn’t believe it.
Instead we took another ambulance ride to a bigger hospital where they had better equipment and I assume more experienced doctors. They took X-rays there too, except this time they found a compression fracture in my first lumbar vertebrae and wanted to do an MRI the next day to see how much damage there was to my soft tissue.
Then, depending on the MRI, I might have to have surgery.
Well, you know that I don't like stuff like surgery. And I was scared shitless. And in denial. So I did one of the stupidest things I think I’ve ever done.
To “prove” that my back wasn’t really broken and that the doctors and the X-rays were all wrong, I decided that I would stand up and pee in one of those container/bucket things they give you.
Not a good idea. I didn’t know it at the time, but not only was my back broken, but the soft tissue in the middle of my back was trashed, there wasn’t much holding everything in place. It wouldn’t have taken much to have my spine move just a bit and make it so my legs never worked again.
But, my guardian angel was still watching over me. Besides a lot of pain, I made it up to pee and back down again. I put that in here so that if you or anyone you know has a back injury and they can still move, THEY SHOULDN’T. Even if they think they can. Make them lie still. Especially if it hurts to move. Their spine could be hanging on by a thread, ready to twist into their spinal cord.
Okay, it’s getting late in Korea, I’ll write more tomorrow. There were some really funny things that happened in the hospital. And overall, though it was pure hell, it was also a lot of fun and makes for some good stories. Especially now that the whole hospital thing is over.
I do want to say before I go to bed that I really appreciate your help with the hospital bill. I have said for a long time that I have the best friends in the world. And I expect that almost everyone will donate. The total cost was around $8,453.
Maybe it’s not even so much to have the money, but to know that I am loved. That my friends are here to help me out when i need it. That we live in a world of hope. A world of friends helping friends, of people helping people. It makes me feel good knowing that I am loved so much that you took the time to address and envelope or click on Papal. Thank you. More tomorrow. Thanks for your donation.
Please help out by donating now...
Okay, it's day two for me writing in this, click here to see the next entry. It's more fun.
