In 1998 I was in a serious car accident leaving me with a broken back. I was fortunate to get a second opinion and I didn't have to have a spinal fusion. I did however have to lay in bed for four months in a body brace.

I grew up riding horses and playing team sports, but after the accident I was in tremendous pain and couldn't even sit comfortably. I was searching for pain relief and a new direction in my life. A childhood friend told me about the Martial Arts Center and that the owner, Thomas Curtin, had a serious back injury and totally rehabilitated himself through the martial arts movements.

I was very skeptical and afraid, but I trusted my friend and decided to go try a class. It was the best decision I have ever made in my life! Within the first year I had no more back pain, and I could do things that I could not even do before my accident.

Over the last 12 years I have overcome life challenges that many of us face; like health, career, relationships, and the passing of a parent, my father. Fortunately I developed not only physical strength, but emotional strength as well.