stepping into my D R E A M S

STORY BY WAYNE HOLT PHOTOS BY HANNY LEE & JASON STONE

I still have the heart and enthusiasm of a child! I love life, I love to play... and I love dreams. As a young boy, I watched others having fun “being kids” as they would run, ride bicycles, skateboard, climb trees, water ski and snow ski. I wondered how fun that would be. I could only imagine and dream. You see, I was different from the other kids. I had crutches and metal braces on my legs. One day a kid pointed at me and said, “You can’t do what I can do. You are crippled.”

I went home and asked my mom, “What is crippled?” She explained that when I was about two and a half years old, our fireplace detached from the wall and fell upon my body. I had a lower spinal cord injury. She said that I was special and had to do things differently than other people. During that time of my life, I underwent a lot of surgeries at Scottish Rite Hospital. I eventually had my right leg amputated. Waking up from surgeries, I would always find my dad praying for me at the foot of my bed. I learned that a prayer was hope and faith in action. With that same faith, I learned to step towards my dreams in prayer to find that I would be able to do most of the things that others could do and have fun!

As time went on, I learned to do all things. One step at a time, I would try and then master. I learned to ride a skateboard, a zip sled on the water, a bicycle, then a motorcycle and; finally, I learned to water and snow ski. I am always a work in progress, but my faith has taught me to never give up, to push forward through the pain, and learn to do what had seemed impossible. I don’t know how to stop until my purpose is complete in hopes that others will keep their hope and faith alive. After enjoying a career in finance, I learned another skill and started a successful company called Stitches and Staples in 2010 with a primary focus on restaurant and commercial upholstery. We are blessed and busy. Dreams do come true!

In the process of learning how to reach my goals, I needed special equipment and the help of others to do so. I met Blaine Bridgford at a water skiing program in 1999. He had a lot of equipment, boats, and volunteers at Pecan Cove Lake in Waxahachie. Blaine, and his wife, Belynda, invested time and encouragement for physically challenged people like me to learn to water ski. I’ve been skiing with their team & MAWS (Metroplex Adaptive Water Sports) for about 25 years. Blaine’s hope is to find a good fit (an individual or an organization) to take on the opportunity and challenges of running the program with a similar passion to help others, Let’s find a way to continue providing these clinics for another 25 years! For myself...at almost 60...my dreams of youth are now my current life.

STORY BY DAVE MCSPADDEN PHOTOS COURTESY OF ECAA