Saturday was more than just a Harley ride to Mt Buller with the boys……..it was achieving yet another milestone in my journey to get my old life back!
10 years ago, when I had my accident, for the first few weeks, as I laid paralysed from the neck down in my hospital bed, I kept having a recurring dream that I was riding a Harley with my friends to Mt Buller…
In those early days this seemed an impossibility, but I added this dream to my goal list…
Last Saturday I relived that dream, when myself and 3 mates rode Harleys to Mt Buller; for me remembering those early days after the accident I realised that I was finally getting my life back to where I want it to be.
At around 9 am I left Port Melbourne to meet Mitch, Brendan and Dan, at the Donnybrook service station.
We planned to ride through Whittlesea, Kinglake, Yea, my old stomping ground Mansfield then to Buller.
The way we went was the exact same way I used to do those night drives with Dingo up to Buller before my accident, so it was great to finally do it on a Harley.
The whole time I was riding, I couldn’t stop thinking how great it was to be free and finally achieving one of my most biggest goals! It brought up a lot of old emotions and thoughts, all those really bad periods when I first had my accident, all the negativity from the medical profession, telling what I couldn’t do and my journey to where I have progressed too and where I am now.
Once we got to Mansfield I started to get pretty excited I was achieving this very important goal, soon I would be at Mt Buller.
Once I got there, I rode past where I had my accident and I didn’t even look at the spot, in my mind I had finally gotten over it, it was just another patch of asphalt .
I realised how much I had grown from that day!
I was a young kid that made one stupid mistake which almost cost me my life, everyday I wake up, I’m reminded of that day and mistake I made by attempting such a jump, but for the first time in a long time I had peace of mind that I have a great life now!!!
I wouldn’t have the people in my life I have, I wouldn’t have had the experiences and lessons I’ve been though these past 10 years………. I’m grateful for the life I have, I might have an “original” style of walking but, I don’t let things get in my way.
On June 25th 2000, myself and my family where told by my surgeons and later leading surgeons in USA, that I would never get out of the wheel chair… on January 29th 2011 I rode an unmodified Harley Davidson straight past where my old life ended and my new life started, if I can do it, anyone can, you just have to believe in yourself and find strength you never knew you had, importantly surround yourself with positive people, negative people hold you back from moving forward and growing as a person…………
I have set a new goal to buy my own Harley Davidson, instead of “stealing” Helmy’s, Toddy’s or Gav’s Harleys ha ha ha………………