I've always loved a challenge.
This quality became necessary a little over a year ago, when I taught myself how to walk again.
I'm one of three Cal Poly students who happened to be in a fatal car accident in April of 2019. Two individuals hit us head on at 85 mph and passed away on the spot. My roommate Keilani and I were immediately transported to separate emergency trauma hospitals.
At the time of the impact, I lost consciousness.
I woke up in a hospital about a week later with: four broken ribs, a broken arm, a destroyed elbow, a broken hip, punctured lungs, two teeth missing, and a wrist beyond repair.
Saturday, April 6, 2019
I was in a wheelchair for over two months after this accident. I was forced to drop out of school, undergo dozens of surgeries, miss the rest of my junior year, and face the reality that one of my best friends was still in a coma. I couldn't walk or write for months. For the first time in my life, I understood what being disabled meant.
I began doing physical therapy with my dad, hours on end, every single day. The tasks were simple: rotate my right thumb, use my index finger to point. It hurt a lot. I wasn’t able to uncurl my right hand at all at first due to the injured tendons.
Friday, May 3, 2019
Two months later, I did something doctors had told me was impossible: I developed the ability to pronate and supinate my right hand again. This was something every doctor and surgeon had told me I would never be able to do again due to the severity of my injuries.
At the same time, I started taking my first steps. By the first week I was able to go up stairs. By the second week, I was able to go on longer walks. By the third week, I had run a mile.
Although I was not emotionally prepared for school at this point, I forced myself to return once more to Cal Poly in the fall of 2019. I had made a commitment to graduate in four years and I knew that I had to stand by this commitment even if it would be the most challenging thing I'd ever done.
I needed to graduate for myself and Keilani.
Friday, May 29, 2020
So I graduated. During a pandemic.
We had a small virtual ceremony in my childhood living room that my mom ordained, in her Stanford PhD cap and gown.
When I came back to campus to get the rest of my stuff, I didn't even recognize the person who I was before the accident. The post-accident me found time every morning for green tea, actually participated in classes, and enjoyed the little things.
The accident helped me realize how I wanted to live my life and the levels of commitment I was willing to spend on any one project or pursuit.
In the wise words of one of my greatest inspirations, the accident became "the fastest way to boil life down to what matters most."
Because this life matters, I believe that stories have the power to change peoples lives. What people go through is part of their life, and it matters. I was lucky enough to survive this accident, regain my capabilities, and tell my story.
So I will do what I can now to make life better for those who aren’t as lucky as me. Things need to change for the better. By “better,” I mean they need to prioritize sustainability, health, cognizance, commitment, and an equal future. And it only takes one experience, like mine did, to change how someone thinks about these things.
I have a lot to learn. But I’m committed to learning, and walking with you, and giving back to as many people as possible in the process.
So reach out if we share similar beliefs, if you’ve also gone through something that completely changed your life, or if you just want to see what I’m up to now!