I grew up as a regular kid who struggled quietly. As a child, I dealt with intense anxiety, insecurity, and bullying. I was the red-haired kid with big glasses and a gap in my teeth, the one who felt different and out of place. School mornings were filled with knots in my stomach and fear I didn’t know how to explain.

Sports became my escape. Athletics gave me structure, confidence, and purpose. For the first time, I felt capable and seen. But as I grew older, that confidence turned into arrogance. I became the very thing that once hurt me -a bully. It’s a part of my story I don’t hide from, because growth starts with honesty.

Everything changed with a hunting accident that resulted in the amputation of my Left foot above the ankle making me a below the knee amputee. Overnight, my identity was stripped away. The athlete I relied on, the toughness I thought I had... it all vanished. I entered a dark season filled with depression, anxiety, and substance abuse. Alcohol became my way of coping, and for a while, I let mental illness win.