Rules of Engagement

A Self-Help Guide for Those Overcoming Major Personal Trauma

OK, so youve already awakened in your hospital room without the use of your legs, arms, or maybe a limb was amputated and you no longer have a limb altogether. You have healed from your injuries, completed your intensive program of rehabilitation, modified your home to accommodate your condition, and met with your vocational rehabilitation counselor to discuss your future. The question is, What now? The reason I say that is because that is exactly the same process I went through. During my rehabilitation, I was asked many times what modifications I would need to implement at my job so I could continue on with my duties. The question I should have been asked is if I desired to return to my previous duties. I appreciate the militarys and the VAs efforts to provide funding for veterans to attend school, and there are many programs available. However, I was a veteran who served prior to September 11, 2001, and I had already used my GI Bill over ten years ago, and my injuries were not considered service connected. I had to seek out other avenues. As I was discussing my predicament with my kinesiotherapist (KT), he mentioned a program called Swim with Mike. I did some research and found out some incredible information. In 1981, Mike Nyeholt, a three-time all-American USC swimmer, became paralyzed in a motorcycle accident. A fund-raiser was organized in order to provide Mike with a specially equipped van for his transportation. There was an excess of funds raised, so at Mikes suggestion, the remainder of the funds was distributed to other disabled individuals who were attempting to return to school. The following year, Mikes teammate Ron Orr (now the senior associate athletic director at USC) created Swim with Mike where Mike Nyeholt returned to the campus to swim laps in order to continue to raise money for disabled people attempting to return to school. Now, Mike swims laps at various locations over the country, including Hawaii, and has, to date, over five hundred participants. To not be able to play the sport you love can be devastating, but my friend Ron Orr started Swim with Mike to prove there is a support system to moving on, especially when it comes to education, said Nyeholt. I further learned that although this program is funded from USC, there are only seven students enrolled at USC while there are forty-two students enrolled at universities and colleges throughout the United States. In order to qualify for this scholarship, the applicant must have participated in an organized sports program at the high school or collegiate level and suffered an illness or injury that results in a life-limiting physical disability. The applicant must also meet the attending universitys admission requirements and maintain a 2.5 GPA while enrolled in the program. After learning about this program, I decided to apply. I am proud to announce that I will be attending USC in the fall of 2012, and without the assistance of Swim with Mike, I am not sure that this would be possible. My life has opened in ways that I could have never even dreamed of since the day I was discharged from the hospital. I remember feeling so alone. Then I learned there were people before me who had suffered and overcome similar accidents and illnesses, and they had paved a path for me to follow, if only I could overcome my paralyzing fear and venture upon it. And now, two years later, it is I inviting you to venture out; realize life is not over and that a new beginning awaits if you are ready to move forward. All you need to do is discover your new passion, discuss with your counselor the appropriate major needed to fulfill it, request an application from USC or your desired university or college, download an application from www.swimwithmike.org, and start on the path toward your new life. And maybe one day, you too will swim with Mike. So you seeor hopefully will soon seethat your life is not over. In fact, it is just beginning. You stil