Nathan and I went to the Monster Truck Jam at the Energy Solutions Center for our Valentine's date. It was so fun and turned out to be the inspiration for my first story here of real life hope and courage. I do not know the name of the man, but I plan on finding out, for he was a real example of hope and courage, despite the odds. Here is the story.
At the end of the monster jam, each monster truck driver is allowed one minute of "monster truck free-styling". The driver of the truck Airborne Ranger was doing some pretty wild stuff, and ended up flipping his truck on it's back while doing crazy fast 360s. Immediately the crew ran to his aide. People with fire extinguishers stood by in case the truck should catch fire, and the medical crew worked to extract him safely from the vehicle. For some reason the medical crew placed him in a wheelchair after they pulled him out. My first thought, as an ER nurse, was oh no, did he hurt his neck? Gut reactions are usually a what is the worst case scenario in my training. Then the announcer said, "remember, disabled is not unabled." This paraplegic, who has been without the use of his legs for who knows how long, is a professional monster truck driver. His truck is specifically modified for him so that he can drive it all completely with the use of his arms and hands. He lifted his arms in a sign of triumph then rolled himself out of the arena as his truck was towed safely away.
This man is a modern day superhero to me because he had the courage to follow his dream. Sure it might have seemed impossible that with his handicap he could not drive monster trucks, but he wanted it and worked at it long and hard enough that he made his dream a reality. I believe he is and can be an inspiration to all of us, to look for ways to overcome our obstacles. This man showed me that the only thing limiting us is our own disbelief. Thank you Airborne Ranger, for your awesomeness in showing hope and courage!!!
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