Adam Helbling

I have a C6/C7 spinal cord injury and I am a quadriplegic. If you could ask me what I miss more than anything it would be not having my independence. I need help getting into bed at night, dressing, and out of bed in the morning. My life has changed drastically since January 2011, but eventually it became my new normal. Having lost both my mind and my body, I would much rather have my mind. I believe that the mind is much more powerful than the body. Of course I can’t do all of the physical things that I used to do like walk or run. I have had to say goodbye to my greatest physical passions. A few months before my accident I led the Ohio State Waterski Team to a National Championship. I no longer think about the physical things that I am missing out on. Most audiences that I speak to are filled with able-bodied individuals. I challenge people to live their life like I would if I were given just one more day to walk again. I take nothing for granted and I want people to leave my speeches realizing how much they have to live for.