The Day My Life Changed

SEPTEMBER 16, 1972 is a day that I will relive for the rest of my life.
It happened at the Withlacoochee River in Florida, about two miles from my house. It was around 2:30 in the afternoon and I was only 14 years old. I snuck away from the house on my bicycle when I was told not to go swimming that day. I met two of my friends, Barry and Paul on the way to the river as planned, where we had swam many times before. If only I had known what was going to happen that day, I would never have gone!

When we arrived there was a man, his wife, and their two daughters who were all swimming. We put our bicycles down, took our shirts and jeans off that we wore over our swimming trunks and headed down to the river edge and dove in. The water was cool and the current was flowing as usual. We swam back to the river bank and got out of the water. We decided to climb a tree which leaned over the water. We had dove out of that tree many times in the past. I was the first to climb the tree and dive into the water, followed by my friends. We all swam back to the bank and got out. We climbed the tree again but this time we did “cannon balls”, swam back, and got out again. Then Barry asked Paul if he wanted to dive off his shoulders. He said yes, so he squatted to let him get on his shoulders and then stood up so he could dive into the river. After he dove in he swam back and as he was getting out he slipped back into water because the bank was getting very slippery. I ran and did a cannon ball again off the bank and as I was getting out, I too noticed that it was not so easy. I slipped quite a few times before I was finally able to climb back up on the bank. The wet clay was sticking to my feet so I rubbed my feet on the ground to remove most of it. Paul asked me if I wanted to dive off of his shoulders and I said “Sure! Why not?” So as he squatted down I climbed onto his shoulders and then he stood up so I could dive into the water. Just as I was ready to dive, IT HAPPENED!! My right foot slipped off his shoulder and I fell straight down on top of my head and rolled off into the water. I knew immediately that something was wrong. First of all, there was a tingling sensation all over my body, as though a thousand needles were sticking me! Secondly, I could not move anything. I tried so hard, but nothing would move. I KNEW I WAS IN TROUBLE.

My body was not responding no matter what I tried. I was in the fetal position (where your arms and knees are drawn up to your chest), floating face down in the water, drifting with the current. I could not see anything but the black water as the river towed me further and further away! You cannot imagine everything that was running through my mind all at the same time! But the main thing that I was thinking was: “I need to breathe! ”All of my thoughts changed from what was wrong with me to, “I am going to drown if I do not breathe NOW!!!” I could not hold my breath any longer (your body will take a breath whether you want it to or not, in or out of water). I knew that if took a breath my lungs would fill up with water, but I HAD TO BREATHE!! I was so terrified by now because I just knew I was going to DIE!!!
Just as my body forced me to take a breath, which would have been nothing but water, my friend Barry grabbed me and turned me over. I was finally able to take a breath of air, which felt like I had waited an eternity for! Barry swam back with me in tow to where Paul was waiting to help pull me out of river that had almost taken my life!!!

The family that was there swimming took me to the nearest hospital where they said I was now a quadriplegic (you are paralyzed from the neck down and cannot move or feel anything) and that I would never walk again!!! They said I would probably not make it and if I did I would be a vegetable for the rest of my life! Many times the family was called by the doctor who said I wouldn’t live through the night. I did die three times but God brought me back! Everyone wondered “Why did God let this happen?” But God’s wisdom is far greater than ours and out of this tragedy came faith, hope and inspiration! God was there all the time. God had other plans for my life, that plan was for me to serve Him! God is using me in so many ways it is so amazing!

People used to shy away from me because of my condition, but now they are drawn to me like a magnet. For example, the longest I have been able to “witness” to someone was over two hours and had him in tears! If I go anywhere with my wife to whom I have been married to for twenty-three years, someone will approach me and I just have to testify. I have given my testimony in church and spoken to the teen youth group, and it has changed so many of their lives. I will praise God one glorious day, with no wheelchair, handicapped van, horrible muscle spasms, or confinement. I will be free, all because of our precious Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!!! Even though we suffer and are tried in this life, the next life will be unbelievably satisfying beyond belief.

I was hurt thirty-nine years ago and I am not a vegetable, I’ve lived longer than the fourteen years the doctors predicted that I would in 1972. I graduated high school, went to college and graduated in computer programming, got married, and I have three kids and four grand kids! All because God had a plan for my life. Thank you for taking the time to read my testimony.

May God bless each and every one of you. Don’t despair at your own circumstances, God has brought me through so many things in my life time and I give all the Praise and Glory to Him! Amen.