One of the greatest myths in life is when humans think they are physically invincible. I’m talking about the ‘it can’t happen to me’ syndrome either we or someone we know has been guilty of. Whether it is our surroundings or our own ego that has made us feel ‘untouchable’, our attitude is no harm can possibly befall us. While this may initially give us a sense of empowerment, it is a dangerous state of mind to be in. It potentially leads to reckless behavior that can actually align circumstances in such a way that attracts catastrophe.
I recently read a story about an officer on the Titanic who stated that there was no fear of ‘God, man or devil,’ because the Titanic was built so solidly that it could easily withstand impact with other ships or contact with any other force; including icebergs. The Titanic was three football fields in length, twelve stories high and built of the finest materials available. A virtual fortress if there ever was one. On the fateful night of April 14, 1912, as other ships warned of ice ahead, the Titanic steamed onward, increasing her speed through the frigid Atlantic waters. By the time the lookouts spotted the iceberg in front of them, it was too late. The Titanic could not turn out of harms way in time, and the rest of the story is history. Titanic, the untouchable, unsinkable, invincible ship, sank to the bottom of the ocean in less than three hours. Over 1,500 people drowned.
The passengers of Titanic were of different race, class and religion. Some were commoners from different parts of Europe, heading toward America in hopes of a better life for themselves and their families. Others passengers came from some of the wealthiest families in the world. It is said that John Jacob Astor, the richest man on the ship, had a fortune that would be worth between 80-100 billion dollars today. That fortune, however, made no difference in the circumstances on the night of April 14th, 1912. Despite his social standing, wealth and power, his physical wellbeing was as vulnerable as any class or race of passenger on that ship.
If ever there was an image of an invincible human being, Christopher Reeve was it. Physically, Reeve was tall, strong and handsome. He was a wonderful family man with a loving, devoted wife who was a talented actress in her own right and also the father of three children. As an actor, one of his most defining roles was that of Superman, the man of steel himself. Superman could leap tall buildings in a single bound, effortlessly lift solid steel beams, was capable of running faster than an express train, and had skin that could not be pierced. Ladies loved him and crowds adored him. Superman and Reeves, that is. Yet, despite all of his fame, affluence and accomplishments, Christopher Reeve could not escape an injury from which he would never recover. On May 27th, 1995, Christopher Reeve sustained a spinal cord injury in an equestrian accident and almost a decade later, complications from that injury would take his life. While he was injured he tirelessly worked to preserve the life of all disabled Americans by lobbying for stem cell research and fighting to improve government benefits by trying to convince Congress it needed to widen its Medicare guidelines. Professionally, he continued to work both in front of and behind the camera of Hollywood, and authored numerous books about his life’s experiences in a wheelchair. He had access to virtually every type of healing modality known to man, both conventional and otherwise. By all counts, Christopher Reeve led a charmed life, and yet this incredibly strong, tenacious, viral man could neither escape nor cure the shattering physical injury that befell him. You see, disabilities do not discriminate, even to Superman.
I myself am disabled. I was injured in a car accident in February of 1994 that resulted in a broken neck and spinal cord injury, paralyzing me from the shoulders down. At the time, I was twenty-one years old, working as a recruiter for a Wall Street search firm and just having a blast with life. Although I had been on my own since I was seventeen, I was just beginning to feel as though my life was coming together and I had found my professional niche. I had studied English in college but had no idea what I wanted my career to be. I was thrilled a Wall Street job that I took primarily for it’s commi$$ion potential and benefit package ended up being something I not only did well at but more importantly, loved doing. It was a golden time for me…I was making great money in a blossoming career I loved, I was meeting exciting people personally and professionally on an almost everyday basis and had more than my choice of men to date. The world was my oyster, and I felt, well, invincible…supreme, unbeatable, as if nothing could touch me. It was as if an enchanted spell had settled over my life and I was under the ignorant assumption that it was there to stay just because I was me.
An opportunity to learn the danger of the ‘it can’t happen to me’ disorder came my way on February 7th, 1994. While traveling in a car with two of my girlfriends on our way out to a fun evening, we skidded on some black ice which threw our car against a tree and then a stone wall. Somewhere in the instant between the tree and the stone wall, the headrest of the seat I was sitting in broke off the seat itself. When this happened, the headrest came in contact with the back of my neck and broke three small vertebrae. Those vertebrae took my spinal cord hostage, bruising and cutting it enough to paralyze me. All of this, including my body becoming totally immobile, took about ten seconds. In those brief seconds, life for me forever was changed.
That was almost fourteen years ago. While my journey since has been amazing, I have eaten many pieces of humble pie along the way. After the initial realization I, too, was capable of having catastrophe occur and my twenty-one year old body was not indestructible, I had a few serious, preventable health complications from my injury that I had been warned about by many different doctors since the day I was injured. The only reason I was afflicted with these maladies was because I still had some rather large shreds of ego in me that were laced with the ‘it can’t’ happen to me’ way of thinking. One instance landed me in the hospital for over five months fighting an infection that invited the grim reaper to hover outside my door. This is nothing I want to repeat, and if I’ve learned my lesson, I won’t have to.
I recently wrote a memoir about the perception of suffering and the importance in finding humor and joy in it whenever possible. We must realize as human beings we all have the same ability to experience joy, success, triumph and misfortune. Regardless of the circumstances from which you come from in life, you have the chance for luck and love, scarcity and sickness. Neither the good nor the challenging things in life discriminate; they can touch us all.
Chilly temps and changing leaves means fall has definetly arrived here in the NorthEast! We had a fantastic end of summer with the 9th Annual Amy Alexander Golf Tournament in September at the Wallkill Golf Course located in Wallkill, NY. It was our most successful outing to date, and special thanks go out to Ross Tomnpkins, Mike Alexander, Dave DeJong and Mike Buckner for making it a first class outing.
It was a special honor to have Chris Ryan, the father of Eddie Ryan, a soldier from Ellenville who was injured in Iraq, come to our outing in the evening for an introduction and to say hello. When Mr. Ryan was introduced to the audience, bagpipers from FDNY played and Mr. Ryan was presented with a small check from the foundation to assist in Eddie’s many needs. Having the privledge to meet him was a reminder to everyone present of the sacrifice so many people voluntarily make to provide us with our daily blanket of freedom and democracy.
The Pine Bush High School Academy of Finance and the Amy Alexander Foundation have teamed up to create and publish a cookbook to sell as a fundraiser, and we want your recipes! The categories in the cookbook are as follows;
Each category will contain a balance of recipes that are healthy/vegetarian, comfort food, spicy and desserts, so please keep that in mind!:) The recipe submission deadline is November 15, 2007, and can be done three easy ways…
We are excited for this fundraiser because the potential is endless! Any questions, just email us, and stay tuned for additional updates! Happy Fall to all!