A 19-year-old Connecticut man has made an incredible journey in the last nine years, which has carried him through four different hospitals. When he was only nine years old, he was struck by a pickup truck at the end of a driveway while riding on a tricycle. He suffered a traumatic brain injury and was not given much of a chance to even survive.
He did survive, though, and has now published a book chronicling those years of recovery to give others hope who have suffered traumatic brain injuries. The 19-year-old said each day he would see small steps of progress and know that if he worked harder, he would see more. He would eventually learn to walk, talk and even breathe again. The doctors, though, had told his parents that his life would consist of being confined to a bed and that he would be hooked up to various machines.
Today, the young man attends Berry College in Rome, Ga., where he is studying communications. His goal is to become a motivational speaker, but to many people, he is already a source of inspiration. He spoke to a crowd of about 300 students last Friday at St. Joseph’s High School in Trumbull, Conn., which is where he attended high school before attending college.
Many of the students bought his book and asked for his autograph after his speech. One student, who has cerebral palsy, said that the 19-year-old told him when he was a freshman to always be friendly and show others that he’s more than just the kid with the crutch. It is instances like these that have made the former student a source of motivation at his old school and throughout the community.