inspired

inspired

So this past week I had the rare opportunity to hear from a speaker named Travis Wood. My family has known him for quite awhile now. He and my dad are really good friends, and he home teaches my family every month. However, since I have lived away for school I haven't been able to get to know him. . . Which is quite unfortunate, because he's an amazing person, and was able to teach me so much in a short amount of time.

First of all, he joined the church when he was 17. He was disowned by his parents because of it, and left to live on his own. His mom told him she never wanted to see him again, and that he was ruining his life by becoming a Mormon. After that he joined the army. He went to SUU, met his wife Stephanie, and Moved to Wyoming. They had a beautiful little girl. Shortly after he was deployed. While in Afghanistan, he was injured badly by a bomb set by the Taliban. It's a long and sad story, but this is what I found about the story online:

"SGT Travis Wood sustained multiple severe injuries when a roadside bomb detonated near the truck he was driving. He had to be cut out of his harness and pulled out of the truck - with a broken back, crushed pelvis, punctured lung and much more.

The passenger of the vehicle pulled him into a nearby ditch where they waited 1^1/2 hours for a helicopter to pick them up and get them out of danger. Travis has had to endure 83 surgeries so far to repair his injuries." (via)

He was also paralyzed in both legs, and the bomb was hidden by a dead animal carcass, which caused an intense amount of internal swelling. His amazing wife was initially notified on the internet by pictures the enemy had posted. How completely awful would that be? Ah I can't even imagine. Doctors called her, told her they were flying him to Germany and that she needed to come to say goodbye. Turns out he had a blessing from a doctor while unconscious in the hospital, and he survived. He spent two and a half miserable years in the hospital, has now undergone 84 surgeries, and has had his right leg amputated. After several doctors told him he would never walk again, he is able—through the help of a prosthetic leg—to walk around, and now he can completely feel his left leg. Although he has to endure pain with every step he takes, you would never know, because he never complains. He is such a down to earth guy, and you feel so completely accepted just by being around him. His daughter is now six years old. He told us how much she helped him through his recovery. He got so emotional talking about her, it just made me admire that little girl so much. And after seven different doctors told him and his wife they would never have children again, because of all the radiation he was exposed to—last December he and his wife had a miracle baby. Another beautiful little girl. One more thing, his mother—who absolutely despised the church—was baptized. She was so touched by the way Travis and his wife turned to the Lord and stayed positive after he was injured, she started talking to them about the church, and to make things even better, Travis baptized her. Travis now competes in triathalons using only his arms, and is now competing to become apart of the next Paralympics. What an amazing man, who happens to live down the street from me.

I know I'm not doing any of this story justice, but I just want you to know that the Lord is mindful of me, and he is mindful of you. I needed to hear this story to be able to appreciate how easy my life is.

Lately I have had some really bad self-esteem issues. I have been avoiding wearing shorts all summer because I hate my untoned very veiny legs. But you know what I have decided? At least I have legs. And as long as I have them, and they are healthy and strong, I will flaunt them for the world to see! (In a modest way of course) Call me cliche, but Travis' inspriational story really hit home for me.

I'm considering contacting the church to make a mormon message about him. What do you guys think?