A Tragic Accident Changed My Life
THE pop music group I was in here in New Zealand was becoming increasingly popular. In addition, I held a well-paying secondary job driving a transport truck. The combined pay gave me a high income. This was very necessary for, apart from normal expenses, I required plenty of cash for my supplies of marijuana and LSD.
I had recently separated from my wife, and divorce was pending. Meanwhile I was living with a woman and intended to marry her when the divorce went through.
Sudden Disaster
On the way home one day in a fully loaded truck, I was descending a steep hill 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Rotorua. As I rounded a bend, there were cattle on the road, oncoming cars and a truck that had stopped in front of me. I quickly applied the brakes, but my foot went straight to the floor—complete brake failure! The next thing I knew I had smashed into the truck, my legs being crushed by the impact.
Firemen rushed to the scene and it took them an hour to cut me out of the wreckage. I was rushed to the Rotorua Public Hospital, was given massive blood transfusions and had both legs amputated above the knees.
A couple of weeks later I was weaned from morphine and just drifted from day to day in a haze of pain. I remember that sometime during that period a faith healer came and laid her hands on me and said the pain would disappear. I cannot recall much about her, but I distinctly remember that the pain did not lessen!
I received some relief when my friends were able to smuggle marijuana up to me. On these occasions I would open the window, switch on the fan and puff away contentedly. But in reality, my pop group future was very shaky; in fact, any future prospects seemed nil.
Eventually I was released from the hospital. I viewed this as a happy day because now there would be no restriction on my drug intake. But I was very depressed. So long as I had my drugs I did not care about anything else.
A Ray of Hope
When one of Jehovah’s Witnesses called at my door one day in Rotorua, I expressed only mild interest. Actually, I was a bit curious about the Witnesses, as a relative of mine had become one. I wondered what it was that caused a nice girl like her to “go religious.”
Anyway, the Witness showed me from the Bible that I could gain relief from my disabilities here on earth as a human. (Rev. 21:3, 4; Ps. 37:9-11, 29) This was entirely new to me, for I thought that one could look forward to lasting life in peace and happiness only in heaven. One thing led to another and before I knew it I was having regular Bible studies.
I was still an avid drug user, which put me in some awkward spots at times. Sometimes on “study day” I would begin heavily on drugs, and then remember what day it was. Depending on how “high” I was, I would either make a telephone call and postpone the study with some feeble excuse or, if I was too far gone, contact a “druggy” friend to take me out of the house for the afternoon. But the Witness persisted and, despite a few more ups and downs, I came to enjoy the study thoroughly.
Soon the Witness and his wife began taking me to meetings at the Kingdom Hall. Although I was quite nervous about being in a crowd, soon I felt relaxed in the friendly atmosphere. Maybe life still had something for me, I began to think.
A Tremendous Test
Everything seemed to be going well. But then my girl friend confronted me with the choice: Either me or that religion. I was terribly upset; I more or less assumed she would accept the Bible truths I was learning. She left that evening. Alone in my wheelchair, I cannot remember a time when I was more depressed. I did not appreciate it then, but Jehovah’s spirit gave me the strength to cope with what I know now I could never have handled on my own.
The Witnesses stepped in, surrounding me with new friends to replace the ones I had lost. I didn’t have too much trouble giving up smoking or drugs, for I could see that what I had to gain far outweighed the temporary enjoyment of these things. However, I didn’t put myself to the test; I was careful not to associate with drug users again. Instead, I kept close company with Jehovah’s Witnesses, who were a constant source of encouragement.
Another Hurdle
By this time I had been in my wheelchair for a year and my stumps were ready to be fitted with artificial limbs. I was gripped with fear, mainly fear of failure. So I decided to stay in my chair.
Again the Witnesses came to my rescue, urging me to try the artificial limbs. They helped me to realize that I could be almost totally independent, and my service to Jehovah would be far greater. So I gave it a go. It was a terrifying experience being up so high after being at almost ground level for so long, and, oh, was that ground hard when I frequently fell on it!
The legs themselves are a marvelous feat of human engineering. I do not possess any knees, so these had to be specially constructed for me. Each knee was built differently for the purpose of movement and balance.
It was very confusing at first, and I invariably put the “wrong foot forward” and seemed to spend most of my time getting up off the ground. But perseverance and persistence have been rewarded and I am now quite mobile.
Also, the artificial legs are “attached” to my stumps in different ways. One of my stumps reaches to the knee and the artificial leg has been carefully molded to fit snugly around the slight bulge at the end of the stump.
The other stump is far too short to fit an artificial limb in the same way, so a vacuum method is used. I ease my stump into the leg with the aid of a tubular sock and create a vacuum. Thus my stump is sucked onto the leg. When I want to remove the leg I simply pull out a little plug, the air rushes in and releases it.
Bright Prospects
I applied for a job as a greenstone (jade) carver, which was something completely new to me. It is a fascinating job that I really enjoy. It allows me to support myself and my family. I have applied traditional Maori designs with a modern flair, producing some very nice pendants.
So now my position has really changed. In December of 1975 I became a baptized witness of Jehovah, and I am surrounded by friends of like faith—to one of whom I am now happily married. Yes, I am looking forward to good use of my legs again—in God’s new order. (Isa. 35:6)—Contributed.