{"id":21544,"date":"2024-06-28T18:29:45","date_gmt":"2024-06-28T08:29:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/margiewarrellold.flywheelsites.com\/?p=21544"},"modified":"2024-09-28T15:32:12","modified_gmt":"2024-09-28T15:32:12","slug":"brothers-resilience-inspires-marathon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/margiewarrell.com\/brothers-resilience-inspires-marathon\/","title":{"rendered":"Be the captain of your life, not captive of your circumstances"},"content":{"rendered":"\n[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”]\n\t\t\t[et_pb_row admin_label=”row”]\n\t\t\t\t[et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”]\n

\u201cWe can’t all have the textbook life we once imagined at 18, 21, or 30. Life is what it is. Your future depends on the decisions you make from here on.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ll never forget the day my brother Frank was told he\u2019d never walk again. I sat beside him in his hospital bed, ten days after a motorbike accident severed his spinal cord, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He gazed past the end of his bed, beyond his lifeless legs, contemplating the years ahead, trying to grasp the enormity of the news. He would never walk, run, or dance again \u2013 activities he loved dearly, especially Swing dancing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was overwhelming. Too much for any moment. As I held his hand, I fought back tears. This was not my time to cry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After several long minutes, Frank squeezed my hand. “There may be a thousand things I can’t do anymore,” he said, looking at me with firm conviction, “but there are still 5,000 things I can do. And I intend to do them all.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I had never been prouder of my big brother than in that moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the 16 years since then, Frank has continued to inspire me countless times. He refuses to be defined by what he cannot do and remains determined to make the most of all he can do. Despite facing numerous challenges related to his paraplegia, including many hospital visits, his ‘can do’ spirit has never dimmed. A recent visit to stay with me in Virginia, all the way from his small farm in Australia \u2013 just across the road from the dairy farm where we grew up \u2013 is a testament to that. (Here\u2019s a photo of us, looking grubby as farm kids often do.)  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I made sure Frank\u2019s journey to visit me was worth his mighty effort. From touring the White House and witnessing the US Senate in session to boating on Chesapeake Bay and exploring Manhattan \u2013 we covered a lot of ground and captured many memories!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Traveling is more challenging for Frank. Much more. Health is more challenging. Life is more challenging. Staying in my 240-year-old home, scoring \u2018F\u2019 on disability access, was plenty challenging. Yet, he did it. Without complaint. Without fuss. He simply got on with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n