Diveheart
Dear Diveheart & Friends/Buddies,
Once again it gives me pleasure to offer you a gratitude of thanks for all that you have done. As some of you may know I am a paraplegic diver who has been with the Diveheart team for three years.During the course of my training the accomplishments from this experience has given me the sense of overcoming a high percentage of my physical disability.
When I look back,coming from the introduction to Scuba the mobility of leg movement was limited. I felt as though this was not going to work for me. I continued my therapy at Hines Veterans Hospital where I,m being treated for a Spinal Chord Injury. While this treatment is necessary and needed I feel it doesn’t equal to therapy I receive in an underwater environment. Although I struggle to be independent in such,the Diveheart team is always there to insure my safety. Diving gives me a high expectancy of myself. it gives me a goal to accomplish knowing that when it comes to the finish line it doesn’t matter how i finish my dive, but the feeling of strength i gain from diving.I have no limit to pushing myself to gain knowledge of learning to be a good diver.Wanting to do this and keeping the mental challenge it takes to be a diver enables me to focus more on what life has to offer.I never thought diving would reach a level of independence that it has in my life. The motivation I’ve earned as a diver lets me know that all things are possible if you have a mind-set to accomplish what you may think is impossible.I will never let my physical condition be stagnate keeping me bound and limited.I owe a lot to you for what you,ve given me.Your time and patience has made me want more for myself. How can you put a price on that? What i,ve learned is to make more use of myself encouraging others who have the same or worst condition like myself to believe that the only barrier that gets in our way,is the same barrier that we place before ourselves. We can remove it. Making that choice reminds me I can do anything. Thank you Diveheart, Operation Rebound/Challenged Athletes Foundation for this life-changing opportunity and the scuba gear you provided.
Thanks to all and HAPPY NEW YEAR.
Sincerely,
Darrell Young