If you are a runner, you know EXACTLY what the pain cave is. Most likely you winced when you read the title. If you are not a runner, you know what the pain cave is but don’t realize it. Let me explain. For a runner, the pain cave is where you go when the wheels are coming off. Its mile 20 of a marathon when with each step, your body starts to shutdown and cramp and refuse to move forward. Everything hurts so bad that all you want to do is stop. All of that pain, the cramping, and the blisters, it’s your body’s defense mechanism against hurting itself permanently, and as a marathon runner, you have to push through that. Being in the cave is dangerous, because that’s where it’s easy to decide to quit. You lose all perspective.
For you non-runners, does this sound familiar? Instead of running, think about some of the most difficult experiences in your life. It’s kind of like the pain cave huh? You sink within yourself and lose perspective. You don’t know if you can go on. You might quit… on life.
Well, I am going to share an amazing story with you. This is very often how I pull myself out of the pain cave and keep going. Because when I think about Chris, and the fact that he lives with pain everyday, I realize that I can put one foot in front of the other. I know when I finish my race, I can put down my pain, and he can’t. He has to carry it with him. He hits the “wall” every day.
Chris Stoll is my brother-in-law. My brother. On July 7th, 2013, he lost control of his motorcycle and during the process Chris told me, “Something caught my helmet and ripped it off my head which caused my head to pop off of my spinal cord. My spinal cord was damaged by stretching, it didn’t break, which is why I am a C1/C2 incomplete.” Basically he had what is called an internal decapitation. I’d encourage you to Google it for more of the medical details. The doctors gave him a 20% chance to make it through the night.
Chris continues “While I was in the hospital they told me I would never walk again. I knew I could move my left big toe, so I just kept moving it non-stop. Well, after about three days, I could move my whole left foot. Then it was on!” From that day until Chris took his first step was a grueling seven weeks. He had to learn how to walk again. “It hurt so bad, but I went into rehab the sixth week and told myself I was going to walk again or die trying. I knew my life had changed and I knew it all depended on my attitude. I was determined to give it all that I had so I wouldn’t look back and wonder “What if.””
Miracles do happen. It’s a miracle that Chris is alive. Not only that, Chris is able to walk! Scratch that, Chris is able to grill! He’s in pain everyday, and it limits his ability to work in the job that he had before the accident, but he has reinvented himself. “My BBQ gives me a purpose. When I see people eat my BBQ and smile and tell me how good it is. Priceless. People only see the final product; they don’t see that it takes me days to do one meal. I go to the store to buy the meat and I’m done for the day. Then another day to prep. Another to cook. It beats me up pretty good but it gives me a purpose.”
When I have tunnel vision, and I’m deep in that pain cave, I start telling myself, “If Chris can take three days to move his foot, I can move mine right now. Don’t quit. Walk again, or die trying.” Thank you Chris for being an example of how to overcome adversity and keep putting one foot in front of the other.
If you want to see some world class BBQ, check out Chris on Instagram: plazoo_bbq
Be warned, you will get hungry!
Follow me on Instagram: joe_the_runner
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