COMMERCIAL-FREE HALF HOUR OF THOSE STORY TON
INVOLVES AROUND SEAN
>>
>> AS
>> AS OF
>> AS OF RIGHT NOW, MOST OF THE MUSCLES IN MY LEFT LEG ARE
>>
>> LONG-RANGE GOAL, LOOK FOR ACHIEVABLE GOALS.
ACHIEVABLE GOALS. BUT I NEED TO
DO MORE PHYSICAL THERAPY BEFORE
I KNOW HOW
>>
>> I
>> I HAVE
>> I HAVE A LOT OF ANGER AT
>>
>> I
>> I DON'T WANT TO SIT DOWN. I
I
I GOTTA
I GOTTA DO THIS.
>> FOR ME?
>> NO, FOR MYSELF.
>> GETTING INTO THE REALITY THAT
THERE WAS THAT GOOD POSSIBILITY
I'D NEVER WALK AGAIN.
I WAS 15
I WAS 15
I WAS 15 YEARS OLD.
YEARS OLD. APRIL 20TH OF'' 99.
I
I
I WAS
I WAS SHOT SIX TIMES IN TOTAL.
EVERYONE IS ALWAYS ASKING ME, DO
YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS?
SAME
SAME
SAME QUESTION EVERY TIME BECAUSE
NOBODY WOULD GIVE ME A DIRECT
ANSWER.
ANSWER.
ANSWER. AM I GONNA WALK AGAIN?
THEY COULD NEVER TELL ME YES, OR
NO, YOU'RE NOT.
SO I MADE IT MY
GOAL.
GOAL.
GOAL. I
GOAL. I MADE GRADUATION MY
END DATE.
END DATE.
END DATE. THAT I WAS GONNA
RETIRE THAT WHEELCHAIR.
I WAS
I WAS
I WAS NERVOUS.
NERVOUS.
NERVOUS. I WAS UP ON STAGE.
AND
AND
AND I
AND I HAD
AND I HAD IT ALL PLANNED OUT IN MY
MIND.
MIND.
MIND. AND
MIND. AND I PRACTICED IT ON MY
OWN, IN MY BEDROOM, STANDING UP
FROM MY BED, OVER AND OVER AND
OVER.
OVER.
OVER. TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT I
HAD IT DOWN PAT.
>> SEAN THOMAS GRAVES.
>>
>> I
>> I WAS
>> I WAS TRYING TO PROVE A POINT THAT IF YOU PUT YOUR MIND TO IT,
YOU CAN ACHIEVE ANYTHING.
>>
>> KNEW
>> KNEW THAT GOAL WAS DONE. AND
AND
AND I
AND I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WAS NEXT.
BUT
BUT
BUT I
BUT I KNEW I WASN'T TAKING THAT
WHEELCHAIR BACK
>>
>> IT'S
>> IT'S VERY RURAL. EVERYBODY
EVERYBODY
EVERYBODY KNOWS EVERYBODY.
KNOWS EVERYBODY. YOU HAVE TO
BECAUSE YOU RUN INTO EVERYBODY
DOWNTOWN.
DOWNTOWN.
DOWNTOWN. EVERY DAY.
EVERY DAY. HOW WOULD I
DESCRIBE RYAN?
DESCRIBE RYAN? WELL, EXTREMELY
WELL, EXTREMELY POSITIVE.
POSITIVE.
POSITIVE. VERY COMPETITIVE.
VERY COMPETITIVE. AND
AND
AND HE
AND HE JUST WANTS TO
>>
>> WHAT
>> WHAT IT WAS LIKE HAVING A BALL IN MY HAND, PLAYING
>>
>> I
>> I REMEMBER IT WAS A NICE, SUNNY DAY.
SUNNY DAY. WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY
SCHOOL THAT DAY.
AND THE CAR
THAT FLIPPED, I BLACKED OUT.
I
I
I WOKE
I WOKE UP, AND I WAS IN THE
HOSPITAL BED.
HOSPITAL BED. >> HE'S NEVER BEEN ONE TO SIT
STILL.
STILL.
STILL. ALWAYS ON THE GO, DOING
SOMETHING.
SOMETHING. >> THAT'S WHERE HE GOT
>>
>> I
>> I PULLED UP, AND THE AMBULANCE WAS ALREADY THERE.
I
I
I SAID
I SAID WHERE'S RYAN?
HE SAID HE'S
IN THE AMBULANCE.
SO I JUMPED IN
THE AMBULANCE AND RODE TO THE
HOSPITAL WITH
>>
>> HE
>> HE SAYS TO ME, I CAN'T FEEL MY LEGS.
>> THAT WAS TO RECONSTRUCT HIS
12TH
>>
>> HE
>> HE EVEN HAD TO RELEARN HOW TO GET IN AND OUT OF A CAR, GETTING
DRESSED.
DRESSED.
DRESSED. >> I WAS SCARED TO DEATH.
>>
>> MY
>> MY MOM
>> MY MOM JUST SAID, YOU KNOW, THIS GUY WHO WAS SHOT SIX TIMES
WANTED TO COME AND TALK TO ME.
HE WAS 15 WHEN, LIKE, HE GOT
HURT TOO.
HURT TOO.
HURT TOO. I SAID ALL RIGHT.
LET'S GO FOR IT.
>> SO HE WENT AND TALKED TO HIM.
AND I THINK WE WERE THERE FOR A
GOOD HOUR, HOUR AND A HALF.
AND
AND
AND HE
AND HE ASKED HOW DID YOU DO IT?
I
I
I KIND
I KIND OF
I KIND OF EXPLAINED, YOU GOTTA
BELIEVE IN YOURSELF.
>> I REMEMBER WHEN WE LEFT CRAIG
THAT DAY, SEAN WAS LIKE, RYAN'S
NOT READY TO HEAR WHAT I HAVE TO
SAY.
SAY.
SAY. AND
SAY. AND IT'S TOO NEW.
>>
>> WE
>> WE KNEW HE WAS TRYING TO GET SOME FEELING BACK.
AND HE SAID
MAYBE I'LL BE LIKE SEAN.
>> I WAS LIKE ALL RIGHT THIS
COULD BE POSSIBLE.
I COULD DO
THIS.
THIS.
THIS. AND
THIS. AND I COULD DO -- SEAN DID
IF, WHY COULDN'T I?
>> I DON'T KNOW IF MAY BE PEOPLE
KNEW, MANY PEOPLE HE WAS
GOING TO DO IT.
I KNEW IT WAS
VERY IMPORTANT TO HIM.
I WAS UP
I WAS UP
I WAS UP VERY EARLY THIS MORNING BECAUSE
I COULDN'T SLEEP.
AND ABOUT
AND ABOUT
AND ABOUT 8:00, THE PHONE RANG.
AND I SAW
AND I SAW
AND I SAW IT'S RYAN.
IT'S RYAN. >> I WANT TO DO THIS.
CAN YOU
CAN YOU
CAN YOU HELP ME?
HELP ME?
HELP ME? >> AND HE JUST MATTER OF
FACTUALLY SAID LISTEN, LET ME
TALK TO THE SCHOOL.
WE COULD
WE COULD
WE COULD HAVE SOMEBODY BACKSTAGE HELPING
PUT MY BRACES ON.
IT WAS A
IT WAS A
IT WAS A SPECIAL MOMENT I'LL NEVER, EVER
>>
>> IT
>> IT WAS
>> IT WAS VERY SPECIAL. >> HE SAID ARE YOU READY FOR
THIS?
THIS?
THIS? I
THIS? I SAID YEAH, I THINK SO.
>> IT'S ONE OF THOSE MOMENTS IN
YOUR LIFE YOU CAN'T ANTICIPATE
BECAUSE OF ALL THE EMOTIONS AND
ALL THE WORK JUST FOR THAT ONE
>>
>> SOMEHOW MY MOTHER-IN-LAW HAD A CLIENT FROM NEBRASKA WHO HAD A
NEWSPAPER AND HAPPENED TO COME
ACROSS AN ARTICLE.
AND SURE
AND SURE
AND SURE ENOUGH AT GRADUATION, HE GOT OUT
OF HIS WHEELCHAIR AND HE
>>
>> IN
>> IN THE
>> IN THE ARTICLE, HE SAID IT WAS BECAUSE OF A VISIT, THAT HE
GOT INSPIRED.
GOT INSPIRED. FROM ME.
FROM ME.
FROM ME. AND HE
AND HE
AND HE GAVE ME CREDIT FOR HIM HAVING
THE COURAGE TO DO THIS.
I
I
I CARRIED
I CARRIED THAT ARTICLE AROUND IN
MY WALLET FOR YEARS, ACTUALLY.
IT WAS A SOMBER REMINDER OF
WHERE I CAME FROM.
AND THE FACT
THAT I WAS TELLING MYSELF THAT
IF I COULD -- IF I