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Near Death and Back

My whole childhood I focused on training to play professional soccer. Through the mid 90's I advanced through Olympic training and on June 13, 1997 I was competing with a minor league team when a 16 year old ran a stop sign. That night changed my life. I was on my motorcycle and got hit by a car, partially paralyzing me for 6 months. I lost most my memory, suffered coma symptoms and had to learn to walk all over. During the coming 24 months of physical therapy I changed my outlook on life.

I began making decisions as if each day was my last day alive. Before the experience I was studying at a university. I was taught that the purpose of life was to study career skills and pursue financial stability. After returning from near death I went soul searching. I traveled through the native reservations of the northern USA and witnessed the most extreme poverty. I slowly realized there was so much more to life then just doing things for myself. I started listening to the people I met and volunteered to help them any way possible.

Everywhere I stayed I met wonderful people telling me stories about respecting the earth and harnessing nature's energy. In 2005 my father quickly died from cancer and I lost the desire to do much of anything for myself any longer. I started looking for well off people to sponsor those in need. I've accumulated a list of people nearing life threatening situations or those trying to make a major impact on the world and now I try to help them full time.

Story was submitted anonymously