I love gymnastics.
I remember when I was 12 years old,
I saw the Olympics on television and I
knew that I wanted be a gymnast.
It was what I dreamed of.
It was what I wanted to be.
And it's exhilarating to feel the wind through your hair.
To know that what you're doing is
so beautiful and so flawless.
I love the bars.
Oh, man.
I still just-- I love to just think about those routines
and do them in my mind because it's so much fun.
I love the bars because I liked the feeling
of flying through the air and flipping.
I was really in tune with the uneven parallel bars
in that I could feel the exact spring.
And I can use every bit of momentum.
My goal in gymnastics was to be an elite gymnast.
All of my training was pushing toward that one goal.
I got to stand on the victory stand on the very top.
If it was the most thrilling experience of my life.
And it taught me that if you stick it out
and you don't give up, eventually you will succeed.
The professional tour was great way to finance my mission.
I took a plane to Miami, Florida.
And during the first day of practice,
I was warming up on the vaulting horse.
My spotter had to run across the gym to help somebody else.
And so I decided I'd just do one more warm up vault.
I could do it by myself.
I didn't need the help of a spotter.
But this time I pushed way too hard off my hands
and unintentionally over rotated a somersault.
Landed on the back of my neck.
Right when I hit, I felt giant springs shooting right
through my body, out through the tip of my toes.
And I tried to call to somebody but it
was really difficult to speak.
I couldn't get any air into my lungs.
But soon people noticed that I was hurt.
They called an ambulance.
They lift me on the stretcher and I remember rolling out
of the gym just feeling, I've ruined everything.
I knew right when I fell that I was hurt,
but I didn't really realize how serious it was.
I was pretty sure that within three months or so
I was gonna be back and everything
was going to be all right.
But as time went by, and as I got out the hospital.
I went home and there I had to pick up my life.
I remember sitting in front of a full length mirror
and looking at my reflection for the first time.
And it was very frightening because I
didn't look like a national champion gymnast.
I looked like a stranger.
And as I and looked at my surroundings
there were trophies on the shelf.
There were posters on the wall.
All the days of my glory were behind me
and I hit rock bottom.
I had nothing left to give.
But deep down in my heart I knew that the Heavenly Father
wouldn't leave me.
And if I just depended on him, and did my best, he's be there.
Sometimes life is hard.
And it's not fair all the time.
And sometimes you want things really bad
and they don't happen.
And you pulled every ounce of courage and everything
you've got out, and it's not enough.
It's not that you want to give up,
but you cannot give any more.
And I believe at that point, that you
can cast your burdens upon the Lord.
And because He loves us so much, He's going to strengthen us.
And you know, that doesn't always
mean that some miracle is going to happen
and everything is going to change.
It's more like the miracle is the change inside of you.
It's like he makes it so that all of a sudden you can cope.
And you can find happiness in life again.
And you can go on, even though everything is broken apart.
You know, when I was a gymnast it
was-- when I think about the Resurrection,
it didn't really mean very much to me.
Because I couldn't think of very much that I wanted changed.
But after my accident, and landing in a wheelchair,
it's going to be great.
I can't wait for the Savior to come.
I'm going to be first in line to be healed.
I think I'll try a cartwheel or two.