That’s the secret pass code in the intensive care unit at Harris Methodist Hospital in Fort Worth Texas if you want your dinner or your pain medicine. At least it was for me. Nearly a month ago I left California for what I thought might be the beginning of something huge. I was to drive to Texas, ride a freestyle show and spend the next two weeks working with the best freestyle motocross rider in the world. My goal was to learn the backflip, then come back to California and perform it at a large event in Tijuana Mexico. As I wrote in my last post “Man charts his course and the Lord determines his steps.” What I didn’t realize was that God might perhaps be making some significant changes to that path in the very near future.
July 14th I had the worst wreck of my life. I’d gotten up early to beat the heat, made several jumps and on my fourth attempt put too much weight forward and landed on the nose of my quad. Literally. The dirt on the landing might as well be asphalt it’s so compact and my bumper left a three-inch deep, foot long trench in it. My friend Caleb saw that I landed with the nose of the quad down but no one really saw how my body hit. I still can’t figure it out because the inside of my helmet is cracked to pieces in the front, suggesting I landed on my face but all my fractures are to the base and rear of my skull. Needless to say God had his hand on me. I’ve shed some tears in recent days and I’m struggling even now as I write because I’m realizing I could VERY easily not be alive. My best friend is a quadriplegic because he fell THREE feet out of a truck and landed on his head. I fell from THIRTY, landed on my head and walked out of ICU. Looking at my blood covered and smashed helmet tells me God had his hand on me that day.
The whole experience is eye opening to say the least. I continue to be overwhelmed by Gods goodness through all of this. Eight months ago I hated my life. I lived alone in a town of 500 people with few friends working a job I’d been unhappy with since I began. All of my life I’d wanted a chance to do ATV stuff. I watched other people live my dream in movies and magazines while I seemingly could never catch a break and God always seemed to have other things in store.
October 12th He changed all that and gave me the biggest opportunity of my life. If you’re reading this you probably already know my story and know how I got here. I’m just rehashing because I’m doing a lot of thinking about the last eight months and what is to come in the future.
In the last eight months I’ve met childhood heroes, countless celebrities (at least they are to me) and played in a worship band with guys I use to idolize and never dreamed of meeting. I use to read about this dominant team that always wins down in Baja Mexico and had hoped to maybe one day witness a race. Now I’ve got magazines asking me to write stories about them. God has poured out such favor on me I can’t begin to express how thankful I am.
I’ve always been a thinker and this latest episode has given me not only time but a reason to think about my future and what that might look like. I know I love everything about where I’m at and what I’m doing. I love to ride. I’ve never experienced satisfaction or felt such joy as when I can fly through the air barely attached to a quad. I cherish every jump because I never dreamed in a million years I would get to ride ramps or do what I do. I also love to write. I love telling people’s stories and seeing their excitement when it gets them exposure or sheds light on their accomplishments.
While I hope to do more of both, I’m less concerned with making money from my jumping. I’d love to get back on the ramps simply because it’s what I love to do. That leaves a lot of questions like “Ok, what now?” I don’t have those answers but I’m expecting big things from God in the coming months. I’m certainly in with the right crowd and two of my friends are poised for greatness in the coming months for their own accomplishments in the X Games. I hope to remain involved as they continue to experience success and work along side them. We joked in the ICU because apparently I told them repeatedly that I was going to settle for being their publicist from now on.
I can’t begin to express my thanks for all the calls, texts, facebook messages and support I’ve received in the last two weeks. I’m so incredibly blessed and thankful to have so many people that support me for what I do and care about me in times like these. Not that you have a choice in such matters, but if you’re ever going to spend time in ICU I’d recommend Fort Worth Harris Methodist Hospital. The nurses and doctors made my time there enjoyable and I’m eternally grateful for their care during what would have otherwise been the most terrifying time of my life.
