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yet alive

The beginning of NOMORECANE

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     â€‹In 2006, I was pronounced dead at the scene of a tragic automobile accident.  Although the paramedics were able to revitalize my heartbeat, I remained in a coma with no brain activity for nearly two months.  Following my awakening, the doctors presented the prognosis of my permanent inability to walk.  No light appeared to exist at the end of this tunnel.

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     â€‹Approximately eighteen months after my return home, enough strength and stability developed when using only a walker, allowing me to relinquish the use of my wheelchair.  Another year-and-a-half went by until my graduation to a cane.  Three-and-a-half years following, in May of 2012, perpetual adherence to the cane was suspended as I began to walk in freedom.  Until August of 2018….

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     â€‹While returning home from church, a car raced about 60 miles-per-hour through the stop sign of a street leading into the road on which we were traveling.  There were seven of us in the van—myself, my son, my friend (who was driving), his wife and their three daughters.  Three of my ribs were broken, generating a fair amount of pain.  Weakened core strength resulting from this pain initiated over four months of reliance on the assistance of a walker, then a few months using a cane once again.

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     â€‹Walking without a cane was short-lived, however.  On Easter of 2020, I was transported via ambulance to the hospital to have immediate surgery on my spine, correcting the herniated disc responsible for the loss of feeling on my right side.  One day after surgery, I was transferred to the rehabilitation center where I had previously spent four months in 2006.  Sensation had only somewhat returned, preventing the ability to stand, much less walk.  Doctors involved were uncertain of the complete restoration of feeling and functionality of my leg but then again, the doctors in my first incident said I would never walk.   One week after arrival to rehab, the wheelchair and I separated, permitting my return home.  However, the walker remained with me for a few months, followed by constant use of a cane.

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     â€‹Personal training began in April of 2023 (shoutout to Brianda at 24 Hour Fitness Navajo) in attempts to better my balance.  June 1, 2023 marked the last day of dependence on the cane. Physical therapy was revisited a couple times to help better the coordination of my steps.  While I don’t always walk perfect, I walk nonetheless. In my journey, there are a great number of people with whom I have come in contact who express hopelessness of themselves, or of someone close to them, as they encounter a turbulent situation.  While my primary objective has always been to bring life to others, my situations have rewritten the plan as to how that is to be accomplished.  I am here to be an encouragement and inspiration to you, and to help you be your best.

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After numerous efforts to bring me back from being declared dead, I lay in a coma for nearly two months. Although medical equipment kept my heart beating, my brain exhibited little to no activity during that time. The doctors advised my family to prepare for my funeral and requested that they sign documents permitting the hospital to withdraw life support.

 At the time of my accident, my wife was seven months pregnant. My eyes opened one week before the birth of our son. Despite my limited mobility, I am depicted here enjoying some precious moments of "Daddy Time" with my two-week-old son.

I spent a duration of four months living in the Rehabilitation Center of the hospital. In this image, I am positioned in a wheelchair, accompanied by my two brothers.

Carlos Barragan, the proprietor and head coach of San Diego House of Boxing, commenced my training in January 2013. By March, I had progressed sufficiently to abandon my "walking stick." I extend my gratitude to Carlos for assisting in making NO MORE CANE a reality.

Not long before releasing my cane, I was encouraged by a friend to have some fun at an indoor trampoline park and see how well I would do.  I was able to jump for a reasonable amount of time without falling!

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