I would have to say that over the past 2 1/2 years I have experienced emotions I never in my life dreamed I would. The first report on my condition after the accident was:

Saturday afternoon, December 16, Dan was riding his bike in the mountains when he went over a jump and landed on the ground, head first. He was taken by Life Flight to the top spinal surgery center on the west coast. Within 45 minutes from the time of the accident, he was at the hospital.

Saturday night the doctors grafted in bone, put some plates in his neck and fused it together. His spinal cord was traumatized but not severed however at this time he is paralyzed from the neck down.

You can't imagine all the things that were going through my mind that night. I prayed to God that He would take care of my family. After that, my thoughts turned to all the things I had taken for granted all my life and how stupid I was to put off so many things that I wanted to do. And then like a huge wave smashing over me, the feeling of always being in control of the situation vanished. Psalm 46:10 "Be still and know that I am God" echoed in my head. I was completely powerless. It was time to let God be in charge and not Dan.

A report about 6 months later went like this:
Dan achieved an important milestone in his recovery; he was able to reach his first goal of 60 on the muscle count scale! Reaching 60 means more independence around the house (which I’m sure Candi is thankful for!). Dan also continues to work with Darrell on his walking and physical therapy everyday.

After being told that I would be paralyzed for life, I had increased my muscle score to 60. Most healthy people are about 98 to 99. I'll never forget the look on Darrell's face as he calculated the score and looked at me with a grin that was bigger than life.

And today my report reads like this:
I have very limited use of my left arm and hand. My left leg just doesn't do what I want it to do. I have a pump in my side (under my skin) which helps my muscles to relax. I walk with the help of a crutch and it's slow going. I fall sometimes and hit the ground pretty hard. Sounds crummy huh? Well, think again! Today I am able to hug my kids, take a shower, get out of bed, lift my arm, move my finger, and breathe on my own. Sounds simple huh? It is until you can't do it any longer.

People always ask me "What have you learned the most from your accident"? I always tell them that "I had plans"....that's it! They always look at me as if I should elaborate further, but I don't. None of us are promised our next breathe, our health, and we're certainly not immortal. I thought I was living before my accident. Today I am really living. Inhaling all that life will give to me...Good or Bad.

Speaking of the good/great, we had our 2nd Annual Camp Hope at the beginning of July. It exceeded all my expectations. You should have seen the tears when it was time to leave. This year was very emotional for everyone. Most of the parents of the disabled children said there was no way they could afford to be there if they had to pay. It solidified my belief that people with disabilities incur all kinds of added expenses which make almost all extracurricular activities impossible. That's why we will continue to not charge the disabled person or their family. I refuse to bend on that and if you could just for one second close your eyes and see a little boy with no legs smiling ear to ear and playing without any inhibitions, you'd feel the same way. We have incurred a lot of debt from the camp because giving has been way down for everyone. We need help climbing out of this hole. I pray with all my soul that you will read this and stop to appreciate all that you are able to do. Catch my extreme feeling of gratitude for all the many blessings we are all spoiled with, and become a part of this dream which started with an accident on a Mountain Bike. Please look into your heart as you consider giving to Whitney Hope. It was my dream, but it's a disabled child's dream come true.

God Bless!

Dan