Power Of The Mind
By Coach Jess
This is a true story about my dad, which has inspired and encouraged me to push through whatever life my throws my way, including helping my journey through fitness and helping me to push myself to reach fitness goals.
My dad has always been very active and lived a healthy lifestyle, when I was 14 I witnessed my dad have a drag boat accident, he has raced boats my whole life, but this freak accident happened in the hawksberry River after floods.
He hit a submerged log in his race boat and flipped his boat, the boat shot straight up into the air and flippped backwards, when the boat was in the air he fell out and the boat fell on top of him.
He wasn’t found for quiet a while, but when he did surface, he got run over by the paramedics boat. When they finally dragged him into the boat they pretty much said he was dead and not going to survive.
They flew him straight to Westmead hospital, where they refused to take him as he was too critical, so they then flew him to Liverpool Hospital which he then under went many surgeries.
His list of injuries were long. He had de gloved his right arm to his elbow, punctured both lunges, endured lots of broken ribs, damaged other organs and his leg that had been run over by the paramedic boat was nearly amputated, but luckily they were able to save it.
His arm, however, wasn’t looking good, he went through lots of reconstruction surgeries trying to save it, but when we visited him we noticed he was starting to smell, and that was the result in his arm dying.
He went in for another surgery on his arm, and my Mum got a phone call saying he was under anaesthesia and had to make a tough decision without consulting my dad; he was either going to die from gang green in his arm or the doctors had to amputate it. She had to make the hard decision of telling them to take his arm to save his life.
My dad spent several months in hospital, once he returned home, he had lots of rehabilitation, and I also helped look after the last he nearly lost, which was not a nice job, but it paid off.
This is where he could of gone one of two ways, to give up, or live life to the full, So he decided that he was going to go and get his licence again and get back to normal, he went back to work for himself, and inspired so many other amputee patients in hospital.
He went and thanked the paramedics who ran him over, he was just so grateful they saved his life, when he walked into the station to thank them, they actually said they thought he was a ghost, they couldn’t believe he survived!
He is now 71. He runs his own business using earth moving machines and drives a truck.
And to be honest I think he drives his machines better than any two-armed person.
This being said I truly believe that my dad being fit and healthy saved his life.
And I also believe the mind is a powerful thing, if he had just told himself to give up and not live life to his fullest, he would not of achieved everything he has today.
I hope this story inspires you, because my dad is someone I look up to whenever I think I can’t do something. Honestly, you can do anything you put your mind to. I use this will power a lot in training, I focus on what I’m doing and know I can finish anything I put my mind too.
Supafit Coach Jess
