In August 2007 Jamie Gillentine dove head first into the ocean. But he didn’t know it was a sand bar. Jamie Gillentine shattered his 6th cervical vertebrae. Spinal fragments were lodged in his spinal cord.
Jamie Gillentine lost all feeling and movement from his upper-chest down to his legs. He had some arm movement but no hand dexterity. Here’s a video of his recovery which took several months.
We talked about life hitting you square in the jaw. Life can’t hit you in the jaw much more than this. Sickness, tiredness, laziness, etc. All your excuses fade away compared to what happened to Jamie Gillentine.
What would you do if something like this happened to you? Would you flight or would you fight? Would you weep or would you get mad? Would you give up all hope or would you persist until you’re your old you again?
I know what I would do. Tell me what you would do in the comments.
Thats an incredible video, very uplifting.
I know that I have too much to be well for, alot of people in my life look up to me for support, I would kill myself trying to get better just to show my loved ones to never give up hope on themselves. No matter how bad things may seem they can always be worse.
I’m not an emotional dude and that choked me up. Great video.
I tell you what hats off to Jamie that is awesome. I have to say that would be the most difficult trial in your life. Sitting here and being a former athlete and someone that attempts to push his body to new limits can’t imagine that limit you would be tested to. I would love to say that I would straight fight my ass off but until faced with that choice who really knows. I hope that the good lord would give me the strength to pull through. That truly is the only way a person can get through something like that. My hat off to people that fight like champs every day to get better. I for one take my gifts for granted and should not. I am thankful for what I have and what I can do. Makes me have a new out look on getting up and working out when I am tired or frustrated.
Thanks for the post, opens eyes to new reality.
There are only two options - either give up and accept it, or push, push, push until you overcome it. That’s really what strength training is about anyway. Every day is a mental challenge as much (or even more so) as it is a physical challenge. Thomas Jefferson once said, “a strong body makes the mind strong.” But the concept is much older than him, and has been said throughout history.
Moreover, the principle of overcoming adversity is the single most important factor in success. You find the theme repeated throughout history by all the most successful people, and it’s really driven home in the book Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill.
Winners never quit. Quitters never win. The choice is simple.
Who knows? Easier said then done.
But i feel that if you don’t already challenge yourself daily and strive to improve as person or an athlete, and you lack goals or some form of purpose. You may not respond as favourably as someone else who has a history of constantly striving to improve.
Wow, this video got me pretty good. And this article was very well timed for me. I was going to write Mehdi an email or forum post soon.
6 weeks ago, I got a herniated disk in my lower lumbar spine from (who would of guessed?) hyperextending my lower back during squats to keep it from rounding. Hah. It has been without a doubt the worst time in my life. Kind of puts other trivial things in perspective.
Even though what I am going through is nothing compared to this video, I pretty much felt and thought all of your options in the last paragraph at the same time.
Well, I am an emotional dude, so you can imagine what it did to me. That is one of the most inspiring videos I have ever seen. A story like that inpires me to press on more than a video of some great lift or feat of strength (though those are good too). People work out for many reasons; some for mere vanity, some for better health, some for more strength; but this guy is working out for life itself. In his situation it’s not just a hobby, but a necessity for life. I can only pray that I would have the same determination and stamina as Jamie should I ever find myself in such a tragic situation. I love the song too. Very fitting for the video. Thanks for this article and video Mehdi. It was not a long one, but one of the best in my book since I have been a member of StrongLifts.
I saw this on another blog that was linked from your blog.
It is truly amazing how far he’s come and how much will power and the will to survive has persavered.
My step-father had a stroke back in April of 2007. He was only 50 years old. I believe if he had the will power, he could have overcome his paralyzation and made a decent comeback.
Unfortunately he succumbed to the aftermath of his stroke on February 14th, 2008.
This video is truly inspirational and I have watched it several times.
Thank goodness I have a kid…
I think if something like that happend to me a year or so ago before I had someone to live vicariously through it would be 1 shot to the dome…done. but, since I have him and have had a pretty great life, I would just cherish his life even more.
Wow. What a powerful video. Puts things in perspective. Jamie is a hero, plain and simple. The strength of character required to face something like that, head on, and overcome it is just incredible. Thanks for the inspiration, Mehdi. Posts like this are just more proof that StrongLifts.com is the real deal. Thank you for sharing!
I’ll tell you what I would do…I’d put the Rocky theme song on repeat and proceed to PUSH IT TO THE LIMIT!!!!
been there, done that… here’s the story
I hairline fractured C6-C7 and bruised spinal cord 25 yrs ago.
was paraplegic for 18 days. Try a catheter up your urethra for 17 days!!! had to wear the head thing for a week, couldn’t shave, ulnar nerve in left arm fired ALL THE TIME.
End result after 25 yrs, everything works but, no pain or temperature in left leg, and right ankle doesn’t respond well resulting in foot dropsy; I trip a lot. Can’t run well, but get me on a bicycle and it all disappears!
It’s tuff and I know I’ve only had a small sampling of what Jamie has and is going thru. Sympathy is great but, empathy is far more powerful. Hang in there all of you with disabilities
Life IS beautiful however, no one said it was always easy
peace to you all
Wow, that video completely blew me away. I can only echo that, while not an emotional guy, that certainly put a lump in my throat.
You never truly know a man until he faces this kind of adversity, I can only hope I would show such incredible strength in such a situation.
I have been skiing very aggressively for most of my life. In 1995 I even moved from NY to CO to excel in my sport. In 2001 I went out for my first day of the season. On my second run I did what I had been doing since I was 14, a backflip. This particular backflip went wrong and I hit my head on the SECOND way around. I was knocked unconscious for 2 weeks. A coma. A woke up and spent the next 3 months looking like the chap in this video, and worse. I was 22 at the time. I eventually made a full recovery. Lifting weights was part of my rehab. I had never done it before but I never looked back. It changed everything for me over the years and I owe it everything. I am stronger mentally and physically and I am also now the strongest skier I have ever been thanks to the squat. I can write about that hospital experience for days. I do not know how to condense it all. When I was in the hospital, I looked at that time simply as a temporary setback. I am a passionate person and I knew I could rehabilitate myself better than before. Through months and months of hard work, I certainly did. I could also write for days about all of the amazing things that have happened since. I feel like my life began when I got out of the hospital. The years before I was a different person. Mehdi writes about the benefits of strength training and what hard work, perseverance, and self discipline can do to change your life. I have experienced it and they do. Strength training is a results oriented sport that will trancend onto every other aspect of your life. I can expand on all of the above
Thanks for sending that video — I’ve been working waaaay overtime on my doctorate right now, wondering how to fit in my wife and kid(s) along with working out, and it’s really easy to feel sorry for yourself. What an inspiration Jamie is, and thank goodness for whoever filmed that clip to get it out to people like us. Keep up all the good work, Mehdi.
Please stop telling people that that they should continue to hit the gym when they’re ill and that refusal to do so is making excuses. Putting your body under that kind of strain when you have e.g. flu or a hernia is fool-hardy and dangerous.
@Simon
I don’t think anyone, least of all Mehdi, advocates throwing oneself unprepared into a situation where bodily harm is a likely outcome. However there is something to be said for not making excuses. The man Mehdi was talking about in this post, Jamie Gillentine probably had more reason roll over and give up than any of us ever will, but he didn’t he kept on going. But he didn’t do so without proper attention to his situation at hand. He had help, he had trainers, he had motivation, and he addressed each problem as it came. I think the point Mehdi is trying to make is . . .
If you have the flu, make getting well your priority, then get right back to the gym.
You have a hernia, take it easy, work on stretches/flexibility, consult your doctor, address the problem, and then get back to the gym.
Note that in none of these situations is anything accomplished by simply being foolhardy and ignoring the problem. Address it, but don’t use it as an excuse.
Then get back to the gym . . .
When you see this story, you can’t imagine worst thing that could happen to you. Fortunately he got the oportunity to recover. However, lot of people don’t have this oportunity…
I think this situation it’s a perfect example of what happens in our life, we can choose to surrender us or fight against the problems. Strength training make us more inclined to act in the second way, but one does not know how will he react in this situations until they happen…
While I concur it is an inspiring video, diving head first into a body of water without knowing what’s below the surface is profoundly stupid. His accident, and resulting injury, could have easily been prevented.
shed a tear man, thats fucking incredible.
it help put things in perspective.
I had something happen that wasn’t expected in late 2006. Rapidly, I was losing control of my body due to extreme joint pain. At its worst, I had to crawl to the bathroom every morning because every joint in my body felt as though it was wrapped in broken glass. I could barely walk and each movement felt as though I was being stabbed in every joint. It was rheumatoid arthritis. It took a long while, but I was able to get on some decent meds in late 2007 and I started to turn my body around. I still can’t do all of the exercises I see on your site, but I hang in there and keep pushing the weight. Some of my joints will never return to full flexibility and strength, but I won’t give up. Yoga, weight training, biking, and short jogs on a track have kept me healthy. I do remember losing it one morning. I didn’t make it to the bathroom in time and made a mess of myself. I cleaned up and sat in my office chair for a little while. All thoughts went through my head: anger, loneliness, pity, etc. I told myself that I would find the right combination of drugs and keep moving. Even if the drugs didn’t work, I would get myself the best wheelchair possible and find a way to get around. In late 2007, I started to exercise again. My bench press was only 25 pounds, but after six months I was up to 120 pounds. My whole life is different now and I know that the disease is only being kept dormant by the drugs, but I will take the drugs are giving me and work with it. Thank you for this video Medhi, it helps me to keep things in perspective.
I dove into a swimming pool in my early twenties and hit the bottom, it was too shallow for diving but I thought I could do it like I had many times before. It was a poor personal risk management decision, people make mistakes. I later learned about Joni Eareckson Tada (see her website at http://www.joniandfriends.org/). I was lucky to walk away with a cut open chin, she didn’t walk away at all, she has been a quadriplegic since 1967. Today she is an accomplished artist, author of over 35 books, and highly sought after speaker. She was appointed by the President to the National Council on Disability, has recieved numerous awards, Founder of numerous programs…yet she is still confined to a wheelchair.
A person is not defined by their circumstance, they are defined by how they choose to deal with their circumstance. There is a great book that touches on the subject called “Ignition; the Challenge of Action from Baghdad” if you are interested.
that is amazing, good for him, now he’ll be able to have a normal life with his kids.. great story thanks for the motivation
Thanks for sharing man. This is truly inspiring
That is indeed a great transformation to watch happen. I can’t imagine the determination that must have taken. Any idea of the time elapsed from injury the first scene of that video to the last?
It also reminds me (and I hope this doesn’t come out wrong) privilege can also be a handicap. I’m seriously not trying to bitch about any advantages I’ve had in my life, but it seems like sometimes it’s easier to push yourself when you’re working against some insurmountable force, or when you’ve got something to prove, so to speak. I could totally off base here, and it may just be a matter of my personality, but I find it easier to stay motivated in the midst of trying circumstances than when everything is going well.
I will just say thanks to Mehdi for sending me the post about this story and to Jamie for being an inspiration to us all.
Dieter
The time between the first and last scene of the video is almost exactly five months. And hey, Roguish Smurf, remember that the tides in California change all of the time and that he was diving in deep water one minute and the tide shifted as he went in for his next dive.
I have a friend (a teenage boy) who was run off the road by an idiot driver while riding his bike. He still can’t walk… unfortunately sometimes it’s not a matter of how hard your try, how much you want it, because sometimes it just never happens.
But hey, I take my hat off to people like the guy on this video. That really shows some real courage.
Thats incredible! To start with very little and to end being able to hit the treadmill, truely inspirinf stuff, hope you have the best of luck in all you do!
i am not an emotional person but this video actually brought tears. i can’t even remember that last time i cried. this video gives me so much strength, i will never give up on anything as long as i live because of this video.
When you are dealt lemons
Make lemonade.