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| Cam MacDonald |
I am sorry to hear about your recent car accident, how it has left you in pain and temporarily unable to do many of the things that you love. As someone who has dealt with a disability their whole life, I understand how frustrating things can be. I know how it feels to be isolated and left out.
I understand that frustration can often lead us to contemplate suicide (MAID) or self-harm, but I also know that if circumstances were different and things were going well, this would not be something that you would be considering. When I have contemplated suicide, the four areas of struggle for me have been faith, hope, peace and purpose. When I am in these situations, it is a struggle to think positively. Yet, in every situation, there are eventually good things waiting, just around the corner.
For myself, I was unable to play sports as a kid because of my disability. Those days sucked because I was unable to spend time with my friends, doing what we all loved.
However a few years later, when I was 10, I became aware of a swim club for disabled people. At that time I was pretty awful at swimming, I couldn’t even pass the fourth level of swimming lessons, (something some six year-olds could do.) Despite this fact, I began swimming two times a week with the swim team.
At the age of 13, I was given an opportunity to compete at the Canada Summer Games because there was an open spot on the team, for a disabled swimmer. This opportunity allowed me to practice almost every day that summer, culminating with me having the race of my life to shockingly capture a gold medal.
Two years later, in 2007, I was good enough to compete at the national championships and after an additional seven years of hard work, I finally got the opportunity to race for Team Canada on the international stage, where I won a bronze medal for our country.
In 12 years, I went from a 10-year-old kid who couldn’t play sports, to an international athlete. It is something that hardly anyone would have believed, but it happened.
The peak of my swimming career was extremely short, as sinus and chest infections started to pile up. I needed to find another endeavor to pursue. I had tried to find a job throughout the summer months during the last 2 years of my swimming career. This task was very difficult because I was a person with a disability who had limited work and volunteer experience.
After failing to obtain a job for 2 years, I figured that I needed to change my approach. I did a google search about particular organizations in my community that focused on causes that I was interested in. I then clicked on the first one, Life’s Vision. I sent Life’s Vision and email with an attached resume and I began working with them 3 months later. I was originally supposed to work 6-10 hours each week for them, but by the end of the summer, I was working 24 hours per week.
After that summer, I continued working with the organization as part of my university practicum. I graduated university that spring and was hired by the organization as an Executive Assistant.
In my 4.5 years with Life’s Vision, I was able to work my way from the bottom of the organization to the very top, serving in both the Interim Executive Director and Co Director roles.
Both professionally and athletically, my story has followed a similar arch. It has been a roller coaster of ups and downs, trying to find an environment in which I can succeed.
I know that we cannot control all of our circumstances as people with disabilities, but I do know that you are designed to serve a special purpose on this Earth. I am of the conviction that you can make a huge difference in this world, no matter how awful you feel in this moment.
Over the years I have come to realize that I don’t have to have the ability to do everything myself in order to make a difference; I can’t walk, I can’t write, I can’t drive and I can’t do things as efficiently as others. Despite these facts, I still strive to make a difference because even though I can’t do all of those things, I still have ears that can listen, a mouth that can encourage and a mind with knowledge that can be used to make the world a better place.
It is easy to focus on the things that we can’t do because they tend to be the barriers that we become frustrated with. However, it is important to think about how we can leverage our circumstances for good. Can you write a book to inspire others? Can you call lonely people and talk to them? Can you be an advocate for people who are in similar situations to the one that you are in?
I know that you have the ability to do great things and your disability may even provide you with a unique path forward to make that happen. By continuing to fight, you will be able to tell a great story.
We are all uniquely created and have a special purpose in life. Sadly, we often don’t know what our purpose is and we often can’t see the great things that are waiting at the end of the tunnel.
I would love to get to know you, maybe I have experience that could help you when it comes to facing the obstacles that are in front of you right now, if I don’t, I am here to listen to you, pray with you and help you however I can!
There is a purpose for you and I am here to journey with you!
Peace be with you,
Cam MacDonald
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