Sharing My Story... Additional Media

Over the last several months I've been lucky to be able to share my story with a broad audience. Some people have (appropriately) asked me what the goals are in sharing my story. The truth is that I don't have a structured set of goals that I'm trying to achieve. I'm uncomfortable with my role as an "inspiration," but I recognize that my story can serve as a source of hope for some or be motivating for others. My goal isn't to inspire. More likely, my goal is to show people that setting aggressive goals and working your butt off to meet them can yield real returns. And that showing vulnerability and being transparent about my own challenges can help others feel less alone, more connected, and more understood in what is - in reality - a very lonely world. I'm not yet comfortable assuming a formal role in the disability community or being a spokesperson for others with disabilities. But I recognize that at some point I will have that responsibility. I've always been outspoken (shocking); I've always advocated for what I believe in and for those who can't advocate for themselves; I've always used my platform as a physician and business-leader to be a passionate leader and storyteller to inspire and inspire/motivate others. So I suspect that all of these things I've done naturally over time will intersect around my own disability. Honestly, if I can't talk openly about the challenges I'm experiencing, how can I expect others to do that same? Perhaps telling my story is simply a way to force myself out of my own comfort zone.

My goals were reinforced a few weeks ago on my way into the hospital when a young family stopped me to thank me for telling my story. This husband and wife had their young child with them -- she has a rare congenital/genetic disorder. They explained to me how motivating it was to them that I was able to share my story and how it kept them driven and motivated for their own daughter. I think them stopping me meant just as much to me as reading my story may have meant to them.

In addition to the things I've already shared (my own writing at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dbgrossman/detail/recent-activity/posts/) and Mayo's article (https://intheloop.mayoclinic.org/2018/04/24/emergency-medicine-physician-back-to-work-after-accident-that-left-him-paralyzed/) I did two other major pieces.

My friend from high school, Jeremy Hobson, is a host on WBUR's Here & Now, picked up by NPR. Jeremy and and Chris Bentley from WBUR did a fantastic job telling my story --- there is a written narrative here http://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2018/06/06/doctor-paralyzed-mayo-clinic ... but please, take time to listen to the story they tell. They did an amazing job. It's only 21 minutes long. But you have to push this big red button on the upper left:

I also did a piece for NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt. I'm really grateful to the NBC team for being so gracious in their story telling. https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/paralyzed-er-doctor-returns-work-just-don-t-call-him-n882911 -- I'm also glad that Ron could be part of the story. I don't know where I'd be without Ron and my other incredible friends who have been by my side over the last 11 months.

[Also, they tell you never to read the comments on things ... that's probably a good idea, but it was nice to see the impact some of these stories have on people. And to the folks out there who wonder how I can be a doctor and not perform CPR because the beds don't go low enough ... I don't know what to tell you. I haven't done CPR in probably 10 years -- when there's CPR in progress I'm essentially the traffic director, keeping my eye on the big picture and directing care. Also, contrary to the reporting on Here & Now, we didn't really take one last run of the day ... we consciously decided against it and instead took the (now ironically) named "Easy Street" out of the mountain biking terrain. My Strava still shows where I stopped.]

Some behind the scenes photos: