Spinal Cord Injury Survivor's Dream of Going to Japan

When I was 16 years old, I was in a car accident that left me paralyzed from the chest down. After months of excruciating pain, I laid in the bed refusing to go to therapy. I didn't know if life was worth living anymore. That's when my mom came into my room and said the words that I needed to hear. She told me to make a choice to "either get busy living or get busy dying!"

I made the choice to get busy living, and now I want to live my life to the fullest!

Living your life to the fullest means different things to different people, and in my case, it means going to Japan!

I've been dreaming about going to Japan since I was 5 years old. I think about it literally every day of my life! Other than walking again, going to Japan is my number one heart's desire!

I've even taught myself to speak Japanese, and in my free time I teach Japanese people how to speak English over the internet.

I was really hoping to do a study abroad to Japan while I was in college, but my plans were ruined because of Covid. Now, I've decided to set a goal to go to Japan in May 2025.

It might be expensive, and I can't do it alone, but when I'm on my deathbed, I don't want to look back at my life and regret the fact that I never went to Japan.