Mike Wright:”(Injury) was very scary,”

[West Philly Patriot]

You have to remember that we're talking about a young man's view of things versus the views that us older fellows have. Mike still looks through the lens that says he's young and immortal, he hasn't had that one VERY REAL event yet where he suddenly realizes he isn't immortal and bad stuff can still happen.

I was just like him at his age, (not a football player with his physique) but an aircrewman and rescue swimmer in the Navy. I thought I could take any injury in stride, that nothing bad was going to happen to me, until it did. The accident I was in put everything else back into sharp focus and ended my flying career.

It was hard for me to accept that I couldn't do those things anymore, even though I was essentially healed up, because of the risk of re-injury that could make things even worse. I fought for 6 months to stay in, but eventually the Flight Surgeons convinced me that it was NOT in my best interest to keep at that job and to find another line of work. I'm glad now that I was able to walk away from it, but it took me a long time to realize that there was more to life than that and it was time to move on.

I wish him well, and hope he makes the right decision based upon HIS health and safety, and not upon what he loves to do. It's a damned hard choice, but there is life afterward, and new things to try out and explore.

Respects,

Much Respect Gwedd.