I Found Hope When I Needed It Most-AS TOLD BY MIKLOS ALEKSZA

Suddenly I found myself lying facedown in water.  I tried to breath, but my neck muscles did not respond. Terrified, I tried to roll over, but my arms and legs refused to move. My lungs began to take in water. On that warm summer's day in 1991, my life changed completely.

I was born in the city of Szerencs and grew up in the northeast of Hungary.  In June  1991, some friends and I went to an unfamiliar spot on  the Tisza River. Thinking that the water was deep, I dived in. It was a big mistake! I broke three vertebrae in my neck and damaged my spinal cord.  My friend saw that I was not moving and carefully raised me and pulled me out before I drowned.

I remained conscious and knew that something was seriously wrong.  Someone called the emergency services, and a helicopter arrived and carried me to a hospital, where doctors stabilized my spine.  Later, I was transferred to the capital city, Budapest, for rehabilitation.  I stayed on my back for three months.  Although I was able to move my head, I had not muscles control from my shoulders down. At 20 years of age, I had become completely dependent on others. I felt so discouraged that I wanted to die..  

When at last I was able to go home, my parents received training so that they could care for me.  But the work was hard on them physically and emotionally, and after about a year, I descended into depression.  At that point, I received professional counseling, which helped me to change the way I view my disability. 

I also started to think m ore deeply about life. Does it have a purpose?  Why did this tragedy happen to me?  I read magazines and books in a search for answers.  I also tried reading the Bible, but I found it hard to understand.  So it went back on the shelf. I even had a talk with a priest, but I found the comments unsatisfying.  

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From the Awake! magazine,2014