1.6 seconds. That's how long it takes to fall two stories. That's how long it takes for life to change
Michael had to adapt to life in a wheelchair over a long
rehab process to find his “new normal,” regain his independence, and return to
school.
Despite
his accident, Michael remained the competitive athlete that led him to play
both football and baseball in college.
In 2008 he found a new passion when he was introduced to hand-cycling and adaptive sports. His first race was The Marine Corps Marathon that year after he teamed up with The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation to raise money for spinal cord research. Michael has since helped to raise more than $50,000 for a cure.
Today, Michael is a 12-time marathoner with Top 5 finishes in New York and Boston. He was also featured on NBC after completing two Tough Mudder competitions in 2012 and 2013 with the help of his teammates and an off-road handcycle.
Michael's interview is one you will want to listen to more than one time. He offers insight and motivation to live your life to the fullest - no matter what cards you have been dealt. He explains Post Traumatic Growth (PTG) which is positive change experienced as a result of the struggle with a major life crisis of traumatic events.
Recently, Michael Murphy was featured in the documentary, "Snow to Sand" as the lone hand cyclist riding with a team of 15 strangers from Denver to LA in 2016. Their goal was to raise money for people suffering from paralysis by embarking on a 1,300-mile cross-country bike ride that pushes them past their limits and beyond what any of them thought they could achieve as individuals.
He now trains with the Competition Team at the National Sports Center for the Disabled (NSCD) in Winter Park, CO, with every intention to make the US Ski Team…and go to the Paralympics.
In the spring of 2007, college junior
Michael Murphy has it all: a stellar academic record, a vibrant social life, a
coveted internship planned for the summer, and a dream to eventually serve as a
Marine. But in just 1.6 seconds, the course of his life is irreversibly
altered when he falls off a roof. After learning that he would never
walk again, Michael realizes that he must start life over sitting down.
The first in a series of three memoirs, WHEN
I FELL: How I Rerouted My Life and Found Strength in a Severed Spine is
Michael’s story of how he used this traumatizing incident to reframe his
thoughts, learn to lean on friends and family, and to hopefully become a pillar
of strength and hope for others.
Weaving the stories of his background and
upbringing with the aftermath of his accident, readers are initially drawn in
by the calamitous event, but then get to intimately know, and become invested
in, Michael Murphy as a person.
But throughout WHEN I FELL, Michael doesn’t
sugarcoat the challenges he faces. We feel his frustration as seemingly small
tasks, like getting from his bed into a wheelchair, require days of therapy and
practice. We feel his panic as mind-numbing pain causes him to hallucinate in
the hospital. But ultimately, Michael doesn’t just survive, he
thrives as he learns to ask for and accept help from those closest to
him, and readers will find themselves cheering for him as he dives headfirst
into recovery and begins to regain his independence.
The fall may have robbed Michael of his
ability to walk, but it couldn’t take away his love of athletics and
competitive spirit. Using this passion to fuel his recovery, Michael’s new
dream is still to serve his country, but this time as a Paralympian as a Para
Alpine Skier (or sit skier.) Guided by his strong faith, the unwavering support
of family and friends, and a life lesson from a Navy SEAL, Michael assures us
it’s okay not to be okay, encourages us to “Never Never Never Give Up,” and gives
us a Para-Alpine intimate insight into the world of people with
disabilities.
The scripture that has kept Michael going forward and has been tattooed on his arm to always have in view:
"But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint" Isaiah 40:31
CONNECT WITH MICHAEL HERE
