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long as I can remember.
I've always been able to get laughter
out of any situation.
Pessimistic, pessimistic is that the word.
Like, I've always been an optimistic person.
Like, I've never been the type of person to be down
about a situation.
When I was playing football I was defensive
end; 6'4", 245 pounds.
I played for a semi-pro team back in Georgia
before I came to Oklahoma and then I was in the
middle of my second season last year when on
June 6, 2009 tragedy struck.
I made the tackle and on impact I broke my neck.
Injured my C5, C6 part of my spinal cord.
It was a pretty serious situation at the time just
because I couldn't move my arms, couldn't move
my legs, couldn't move my chest.
Everyone was trying to tearing up, crying.
I started making jokes to try to get them to, you
know, lighten up some.
You know, I kept a smile on my face.
I kept positive about things.
I told them, you know, don't worry about me guys.
I'm going to be okay.
I'm going to be alright.
The doctors are telling me, you know, they don't
know they can't give me a prognosis.
All they're telling me is everybody's
body is different.
I still felt as if the next coming weeks that
everything was just going to be a-okay.
Reality really didn't set in until actually months
later to where I was alone and just thinking like wow
all the press and stuff and all that is over.
And I'm still not up.
Everybody's out living their life now and here
I am still, still just sitting in my bed.
The hardest thing about just being alone
was really the thoughts.
The was pretty much the difficult part is just my
mind attacking itself.
Is this what my life has come to?
Is this the end?
I'm only 21, I mean.
Am I ever going to get married?
Am I going to have kids?
Am I going to have more friends?
Am I going to die soon?
Is my life over now?
The whole time I am struggling with myself not
to ask "why, why me?"
Did I do something to deserve this?
You know, my going back and forth with God on this
was almost every day.
You know, I'm struggling and after struggling so
much with the why did this happen to me a friend of
mine just kind of opened my eyes and said look you
have to wake up and you have to battle this thing.
You have to keep moving.
That kind of struck in me I was like you know what
I'm not sounding like my normal self, you know.
And he asked me a question.
He said, "who were you before and who
are you now"
And that's when I thought to myself I've never been
the type of person to be down about a situation.
I can't let my situation change me.
I can't be a product of my situation.
Without peace, I mean, my mind would be in shambles.
So that's one thing I've always prayed for that God
gives me peace.
I've got tons of scriptures.
Which one do you want?
Oh yeah.
Isaiah 26:3, "Thou will keep him in perfect peace,
"whose mind is stayed on thee because
he trusted in thee."
2 Timothy 1:7, "God has not given me a spirit of
fear but of strength, love, and a sound mind."
No matter what you're going through, no matter
what kind of situation you're in, no matter what
your circumstance God is there no matter what.
The time I spend in my church's youth ministry is
the highlight of my week.
Being able to talk to different kids about what
they may be going through in a normal high school
life or what they may be facing at home.
Whatever the situation they're in or whatever
circumstance they're going through if they ever feel
like giving up my message to them is just don't.
The time where you feel like giving up that time
where you feel like you can't take anymore that's
the time where God comes through.
The normal Amecka is the best guy in the world.
At the end of the day the regular, the normal Amecka
looks back and says "I've had a good day."
I just want to be able to touch a lot of people's
lives no matter what.
It makes me wake up every day.
