An aneurysm left Jeff paralyzed, but with miraculous perseverance he pushed himself daily to not only walk, but live life to its fullest.

Episode Discussion Points

• As a 5-year-old the aviation bug bit him as he watched planes take off and land
• You don’t get do-overs in life, so spend time with family and loved ones while you can.
• Live with no regret.
• The death of her father and sudden death of his cousin
• Lessons with friends who committed suicide
• Be kind to all
• Don’t always assume things are okay
• Tell them you’re there for them unconditionally, always.
• Also realize you won’t always be there
• If you are grieving
• First, go into the bathroom and smile again
• Remember God is always there
• There are also family members and friends who are there and can be with you—even grieving groups
• Get outside, look around
• Keep moving forward every day
• You are your own advocate—concentrate your energy on find something good or that will make you happy.
• When people are depressed, they project the same sorrow into the future.
• Remind them they don’t know the future.
• Focus on getting through today.
• The aneurysm that paralyzed him
• He took life one breath at a time—”live your life in every breath.”
• Be thankful for the grace God gives to give you each moment and breath
• The advice he gave to a diabetic in the hospital who lost part of his leg—coming from a man paralyzed from the neck down
• Always look to give something back—even in your worst moment you can give something
• Super-power of laughter: Jeff’s goal was to help people laugh when they came to visit him in the hospital. He realized he still had a lot to offer.
• When Jeff woke up paralyzed he wondered where the instruction book was for this. Then he said, “When there is no instruction book for your life, write it yourself!”
• He determined even though he was paralyzed that he was going to walk out of that hospital
• Doing PT he couldn’t feel his body. He had to learn to think differently and take a leap of faith and try.
• Focus on what you can do and use your energy in a positive manner
• He had to motivate the PT to have him work. He gave 100% and he demanded 100% of them.
• Set goals—ridiculous as they might me, and work for them.
• How he walked without feeling his feet
• What paralysis felt like starting from zero all over again—no matter where you are you can figure out miniscule steps to move forward.
• His new job became working on overcoming paralysis
• The funny story he had climbing the Notra Dame Cathedral stairs 6 months later
• There are always two components to trauma and recovery—the physical component and the psychological. You have to work on both.
• Remember while you are working hard that life is going on around you—pause and be thankful for the world around you. You can still breathe, smell, see a sunrise, feel the rain, etc. This ties into Jeff’s favorite Bible verse, Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know.”
• Thank God for your journey—the good and the bad
• It took time for him to allow patience and mindfulness back into his life.
• Pilates and neuromuscular massage therapy are some of the treatments that helped him the most.
• Don’t put a limit on the progress you can make. “Don’t let ‘I can’t’ into my vocabulary.”
• “Do things because you want to, not because you have to.”

Connect with Jeffrey

• Buy Jeffrey’s Book, Finding Forward
• Website: https://www.jeffreyamorse.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jeffrey.a.morse.1
• Instagram: @finding_forward
• Twitter: @Finding_Forward

#tamarakanderson #storiesofhopeinhardtimes #podcast #hope #God #hardtimes #paralysis #stroke #aneurysm #gratitude #babysteps #determination #courage #livelife #BibleVerse #BeStill #Laughter #Behappy #humor

Transcription

You can find the transcription of today's episode here: https://www.tamarakanderson.com/podcasts/jeffrey-a-morse-finding-forward-after-paralysis