Chair the Hope

The Story

In 2001, Nathan Ogden raced down an Oregon ski slope, launching himself off a jump over 30 feet into the air. While he had done this many times, something was different on this day. He caught more air than he intended to, which rotated his body backward, slamming him onto the slope.

He tried to stand, but his legs wouldn’t move. He soon learned that his neck had shattered.

Over the next few months, this married father of two threw his heart and soul into rehab and remained confident that he would walk again, despite what the doctors said. Gradually, as he gained sensation to his legs and a little independence, his doctors called his progress “miraculous.”

But he wanted his health to progress faster.

He worked tirelessly to regain use of his upper body, and while he could hardly move his legs, he was convinced that one day he would walk again. 

He eventually regained 50% of his body movement, but more trouble was yet to come. In 2003, just 13 months after his skiing accident, Ogden caught pneumonia and fell unconscious in his sleep.

When his wife couldn’t wake him, he was rushed to the ER, where technicians accidentally dropped him to the floor while x-raying his lungs.

For the second time, Ogden had broken his neck. But this time, the break was higher up, which permanently paralyzed him.

All of his hard work and hundreds of hours of rehab crashed to the floor.

Years laters, he now has very little control of his upper body and no sensation from his chest down.

But when asked what went through his mind when he woke up and learned his neck was broken again, he said, “The first words I said to my wife when she told me were, ‘Bring it on.’ I knew that if I had done it once, I could do it again.”

Ogden tried to be positive throughout the coming years, but says that was easier said than done. He had fought so hard to progress after his first accident, only to have it ripped out from under him.

If you want to be successful, practice and work hard.

Ogden felt trapped, noting, “I lost my job, friends, self-esteem and almost my marriage. Being physically paralyzed is extremely difficult, but not moving mentally is painfully worse.”

But with the positive attitude that he maintained, Ogden learned to feel more compassion and empathy towards others than he’d ever experienced.

He believes he went through his challenges in order to magnify the positive results.

He continues to fight a daily battle against adversity and since his second paralysis, he has been skydiving, gone river rafting, hunting, snow skiing, water skiing and even completed a half-triathlon. He is even venturing into consulting and public speaking and writing a book to inspire as many as possible to believe in hope and progress.

Ogden notes that while he may not be able to move his legs or walk, he can stand up and face his fears, and seeks to convince other people that they can too.

The Moral

With that kind of persistent attitude, Ogden has never given up and is back on top of the mountain. While he may never walk again, the perseverance of his spirit is allowing him to live a fulfilling life, despite the challenges he faces.