So, I keep getting behind on my posts because I have gotten into a solid groove to fill my time behind the wheel of my Honda Fit.I need to have 60 hours behind the wheel with my permit before I am allowed to take my driver’s test, but boy has it been a long road to this point.
My disability is a tricky thing apparently.Even though I have strengthened myself to the point where you can’t see my disability, it still impacts my everyday life.The fact that my disability isn’t outwardly visible meant I got to spend that much more time convincing the state that I need handicapped tags and adaptive equipment for my car.A year or so later, I get their permission…and 6 months after that they finally agree to pay for said equipment.
My Honda Fit has a plate inserted on the inside of the wheel with 3 toggle switches to control my turn signals, horn, dimmer and windshield wipers.On the outside of the plate is a hole for my spinner knob to be inserted into.It looks like a thick plastic doorknob that allows me to drive with just my left hand.In addition to this, I have a left foot accelerator, which has a cover that slips overtop the actual gas pedal with a lever attached that applies pressure to the actual gas pedal when I step down on the left foot accelerator.
It took a week or two going through the parking lot and cautiously driving on an empty divided road between parking lots for me to be comfortable in traffic.Now I am driving 70 on the interstate and have done everything short of parallel parking.
There is much more to tell about this, and I will explain how much my disability impacts my ability to drive as well.I’m just so happy to be out in my car, driving 5-7 hours each week and getting myself one step closer to testing for my driver’s license.
Road trip here I come…then this blog will really be shot, haha!(Maybe I’ll have a secretary by then who can recount all my adventures…)
(See my previous post for further details on this job application and the pretty awesome coincidence that arose while applying.)
Name: Greg Wagner Age: 25 DOB: April 2, 1985
250-word sports-inspired story I survived a brain aneurysm and stroke that ruptured in the deepest part of the brain when I was 3. It should have left me for dead. My right side has permanent nerve damage that has resulted in permanent physical and neurological disabilities. Doctors had no idea if I’d even walk again, and they never imagined the day would come when they could discharge me completely.
In school I was always last in gym, but I finished every mile run. One day in May 2006 I randomly stood on a scale after working out intensely for a month—253 pounds. I went out the door to run, vowing I’d never be that heavy ever again.
I ran a quarter mile. It wasn’t disheartening because I knew I could run a quarter mile. Each day I ran at least one step further. Not even 3 months had passed and I was running 5 miles every day. By December 2006 I weighed 199 pounds. I not only ran the Baltimore Marathon that coming October, but I qualified for Boston.
I didn’t just run The Boston Marathon either. I finished first in the mobility-impaired division. I didn’t win that race; I simply led the charge for everyone who believed their disability dictates their lives.
Running didn’t change my life; it gave me life. My strides have made me the ringleader for hundreds of brain surgery survivors. By winning Boston in 2008, I gave each of them life by showing them they can run.
Questions (answer in 5 sentences or less):
1. What got you into running? Why do you run?
Despite my disability, I played baseball for 13 years, but I was only able to play because I taught myself to both throw and catch with my left hand by adapting Jim Abbott’s glove transfer to accommodate for the physical limitations and latency of my right side. I was always viewed as the most dominating pitcher with the fastest velocity, but baseball coaches discriminated against me because of my disability and cut me from every select team I tried out for since I was 9. Coaches often guised their discrimination by telling me that I was overweight or telling me that I could not keep up in their program, and running eliminated their ability to use that excuse. After losing 53 pounds, I mailed a DVD of my pitching to all 30 MLB teams and heard back from 4 teams that wanted to scout me. Everyone has always told me what I can’t do, and running became my way of proving what I can do, which is exactly why I continue to run even though baseball didn’t work out for me.
(Please note that I do not play professional sports so I am still eligible for your Runner Correspondent position.)
2. In what way(s) can other runners relate to you? Runners relate to me because I constantly remind them that there is no excuse for quitting. As runners, we always look for a deeper motivation to keep going or reaffirmation for why we do the things we do. I got myself here by moving forward one step at a time, which is the exact outlook that has helped my friends, and even people I don’t know, find their desire to keep running or to start running. Some are fat, others have bad knees and others are elite, but each of us has battles and obstacles to overcome, which we can’t always help or prevent. I’ve shown people that all of us have limitations, but when others see how I overcome my own it has inspired them to not give up today, and that all we can do is simply take it in stride and remember to keep repeating our strides until we’ve finished the race.
3. What do you do for fun, besides running? I go to the gym every day to strengthen my body in hopes of continuing to overcome my disability. For me, it’s fun because life has taught me to take advantage of every opportunity available to you, and working out has built my disabled right side to the point where I can match the strength of my non-disabled left side. Life has also taught me to remember the joys of being a kid. That is why you will see me doing anything from a trip to the National Zoo, mini-golfing or having sushi nights with my friends, going to taekwondo twice a week, go-karting or embarrassing myself by singing karaoke. I simply live my life to enjoy every second of it and I plan on experiencing as much as I can because you never know what’s going to happen to you tomorrow, and I don’t want to regret missing out on anything in case something does happen.
4. What's your powersong? Who/what do you jam out to in your room, car, etc.? My number 1 power song is “Gonna Fly Now (The John X Remix),” which is a mashed-up version of the Rocky theme song from the Rocky Balboa movie. I have absolutely no shame when it comes to the music I listen to. If a song has a solid, driving beat, I guarantee it is in my playlist. When I’m in my room, whether I’m typing a blog on my webpage or pumping out my daily sets of 100 push-ups, I’ll listen to anything from Rihanna, Ke$ha and Taylor Swift to Boys Like Girls, Linkin Park and Nelly. Like I said, I have no shame and I am not afraid to admit it, jam out or even dance to any of those
songs while I’m at the gym.
5. If you had the chance to interview one pro athlete, who would it be and why? I want to interview Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot, 4-time winner of The Boston Marathon. I won the mobility-impaired division of The Boston Marathon in 2008, the same year he won his most recent Boston Marathon title. I’ve always wanted to talk to him and have always thought it would be an awesome PR situation to get two 2008 winners together. Additionally, I would love to ask him about what happened when he slipped and slammed his head against the concrete at the finish line of the 2006 Chicago Marathon. I’d love to find out what immediate and long-term repercussions the fall has had on him physically and internally, and because I have lived through brain surgery I would be able to conduct the interview in a way that everyone can understand the lasting impact he has had to deal with because of the fall.
6. Why you? What makes you the perfect choice to be our Nike Running Correspondent? The deadline for this application is June 2, 2010, and it was on June 2, 1988 that my aneurysm ruptured. When this deadline hits, it will be 22 years later and few can even see my permanent disability anymore; running brought me that freedom. I have lived my life to inspire others, disability or non, to show them that any dream they have can be achieved. Seeing my dreams through has not only made me a champion, but it has given the thousands who currently follow me the determination they need to make themselves champions. I continue to pursue my dreams and there would be no greater reward for me to give myself on my anniversary than applying for this job, knowing full well how far this opportunity will carry me in spreading many messages of inspiration to others.
I didn’t want to talk about it before the deadline happened, but I applied for one of the coolest jobs earlier this month…and I really hope I get it!
Nike put out a job posting/contest for a Runner’s Correspondent job. Basically, you are flown around on the country on Nike’s expense to pro events to interview their sponsored athletes. Not only does it sound like a perfect opportunity for me to break into a very relevant field to my aspiring career, but the deadline for the job application was on June 2, which happens to be the anniversary of my brain aneurysm.
I don’t want to start thinking about whether this is coincidence, fate or something else, but a lot of my friends are pretty hyped up about the date being when it was. So many of my friends thought it was the perfect job before they even found out about the June 2 deadline. It was pretty exciting to see their excitement and incredible support =)
The application was a 250-word sports-inspired story. There were also 5 or 6 questions that had to be answered in 5 sentences or less: What got me into running? How do I relate to other runners? What is my power-song? How do I inspire/motivate other people? Who would I want to interview? Why do I deserve the job?
It seems like a pretty amazing opportunity, huh? And you better believe I worked my aneurysm and the anniversary into my answers. I find out in less than 10 days if I got it. Everyone keep your fingers crossed! This would be a perfect opportunity for me to spread my story and get the attention I need to properly launch this career that happens to be all that I want to do with the rest of my life.
Everyone needs one opportunity to lead them into where they need to be. I haven’t met that middleman yet, but this would be the ultimate chance to gain exposure.
