Jeffrey A. Morse: Finding Forward After Paralysis

Stories of Hope in Hard Times

An aneurysm left Jeff paralyzed, but with miraculous perseverance he pushed himself daily to not only walk, but live life to its fullest.

Episode Discussion Points

• As a 5-year-old the aviation bug bit him as he watched planes take off and land
• You don’t get do-overs in life, so spend time with family and loved ones while you can.
• Live with no regret.
• The death of her father and sudden death of his cousin
• Lessons with friends who committed suicide
• Be kind to all
• Don’t always assume things are okay
• Tell them you’re there for them unconditionally, always.
• Also realize you won’t always be there
• If you are grieving
• First, go into the bathroom and smile again
• Remember God is always there
• There are also family members and friends who are there and can be with you—even grieving groups
• Get outside, look around
• Keep moving forward every day
• You are your own advocate—concentrate your energy on find something good or that will make you happy.
• When people are depressed, they project the same sorrow into the future.
• Remind them they don’t know the future.
• Focus on getting through today.
• The aneurysm that paralyzed him
• He took life one breath at a time—”live your life in every breath.”
• Be thankful for the grace God gives to give you each moment and breath
• The advice he gave to a diabetic in the hospital who lost part of his leg—coming from a man paralyzed from the neck down
• Always look to give something back—even in your worst moment you can give something
• Super-power of laughter: Jeff’s goal was to help people laugh when they came to visit him in the hospital. He realized he still had a lot to offer.
• When Jeff woke up paralyzed he wondered where the instruction book was for this. Then he said, “When there is no instruction book for your life, write it yourself!”
• He determined even though he was paralyzed that he was going to walk out of that hospital
• Doing PT he couldn’t feel his body. He had to learn to think differently and take a leap of faith and try.
• Focus on what you can do and use your energy in a positive manner
• He had to motivate the PT to have him work. He gave 100% and he demanded 100% of them.
• Set goals—ridiculous as they might me, and work for them.
• How he walked without feeling his feet
• What paralysis felt like starting from zero all over again—no matter where you are you can figure out miniscule steps to move forward.
• His new job became working on overcoming paralysis
• The funny story he had climbing the Notra Dame Cathedral stairs 6 months later
• There are always two components to trauma and recovery—the physical component and the psychological. You have to work on both.
• Remember while you are working hard that life is going on around you—pause and be thankful for the world around you. You can still breathe, smell, see a sunrise, feel the rain, etc. This ties into Jeff’s favorite Bible verse, Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know.”
• Thank God for your journey—the good and the bad
• It took time for him to allow patience and mindfulness back into his life.
• Pilates and neuromuscular massage therapy are some of the treatments that helped him the most.
• Don’t put a limit on the progress you can make. “Don’t let ‘I can’t’ into my vocabulary.”
• “Do things because you want to, not because you have to.”

Connect with Jeffrey

• Buy Jeffrey’s Book, Finding Forward
• Website: https://www.jeffreyamorse.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jeffrey.a.morse.1
• Instagram: @finding_forward
• Twitter: @Finding_Forward

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Transcription

You can find the transcription of today's episode here: https://www.tamarakanderson.com/podcasts/jeffrey-a-morse-finding-forward-after-paralysis