W Mitchell was 28 years old when something terrible happened to him. He was just a regular guy who loved his newly acquired 750cc motorcycle. One day, while out driving, he reached an intersection where a laundry truck failed to see him or yield in time. He crashed and broke a few bones in the process, but the worst part was yet to come. Due to the impact, his bike’s gas cap popped open socking him with about two and a half gallons of fuel. The engine ignited, transforming W Mitchell in a human bonfire.
A witness was able to put out the flames using an extinguisher, therefore saving Mitchell’s life. He woke up in atrocious pain in the burn victim unit of San Francisco General Hospital. He had second, third and fourth degree burns on 65% of his body. Fourth degree burns are ones so severe that the bone has been consumed by the fire. His face was burned off, and his hands were irreparably destroyed. Doctors didn’t know at first if he was going to make it or not.
We can only imagine the kind of excruciating, incessant pain he experienced, as doctors agree that the pain associated with this kind of burn is essentially the highest level humans can perceive. Yet, he was unusually motivated to keep going and embrace life. The first thing he said to a surgeon upon learning that most of his hands were gone was, “this is gonna really screw up my pool game”. His courage and determination were clear from the get-go.
After 4 months he managed to get out of the hospital. Disfigured, his return back to city life was far from pleasant. The constant stares and reactions lead him to decide to move out of town. He relocated to the historic town of Crested Butte, Colorado where his upbeat spirit lead him to quickly make many new friends. It didn’t take much longer for Mitchell to co-found a multi-million dollar business, buy a beautiful Victorian house, obtain a pilot’s license and even own an airplane.
Despite the huge challenges, his courage and proactive attitude enabled him to live a successful, fulfilling life. Unfortunately that wasn’t the end of the story though. One winter’s day he set off to fly his airplane with some friends. Ice on the wings made taking off very difficult, and the plane essentially tumbled to the ground. Everyone managed to get out of the plane immediately, except Mitchell. His first thought was that his feet were stuck. Then he couldn’t feel his legs. His back suddenly started to hurt sharply. When the ambulance arrived he was rushed to the hospital where he would later learn that his spine was broken and that he would never be able to walk again.
This man had experienced his second life-altering accident, which combined with the first one, left him paralyzed from the waste down, in a wheelchair, disfigured and with good part of his hands missing. Try to imagine the emotional state of this person in the face of such unbelievable adversity. Once again Mitchell worked hard to continue his pursuit of life. His incredible attitude is summarized in a quote from his time in the hospital: “Before I was paralyzed there were 10,000 things I could do; now there are 9,000. I can either dwell on the 1,000 I’ve lost or focus on the 9,000 I have left.”.
While at the hospital he rushed to get out because he learned about a mining company that wanted to dig a huge, ugly hole in the beautiful mountain that watches over his town. In order to stop them he decided to run for mayor of the city, where he would eventually serve for two consecutive terms. Eventually he was able to convince them that drilling the mountain wasn’t such a great idea after all.
He’s fond of saying, “It’s not what happens to you, it’s what you do about it” (also the title of his book). We can learn so much from these words especially when the reminder comes from a man who lived them to the extreme. W Mitchell is a living example of what will power, courage and determination can achieve, against all odds. His body may be in a wheelchair, but he’s clearly free of mental wheelchairs. I find his story extremely inspiring and it reminds me of how your current condition only partially affects the outcome of your life. What truly matters is your attitude.
Today he owns several successful businesses and is an exceptional motivational speaker, who’s gathered worldwide acclaim. He even enjoys adventurous actives such as water rafting and skydiving. After all there are still 9,000 things left to do.
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