Hi everyone my name is Antonio Rivera, and I'm a quadriplegic. I have lived a difficult life ever since I was a young boy. My mom raised me and my three other siblings basically by herself up until she was killed when I was 15. It was one of the hardest things I ever had to go through. When I was 12 years old I went to live with my aunt and uncle because I was always getting in trouble in school and my mother thought I needed a father figure in my life to help me grow up as a man. I absolutely loved living with my aunt and Uncle Matt. Ever since I could walk my Uncle Matt was my hero. I always wanted to grow up and be just like him. Anyways I went to school and so on. When I was 19 years old I went on a trip with my girlfriend up to Houghton Lake for the weekend with her family. It was supposed to be a great time and a great experience for me. The first day I was there was just amazing I was with the girl I loved I was away from everyone and all the drama. The next day we went to the other side of the lake to where her aunt lived. I been to Houghton Lake many times but never to her aunt's house. The reason for going up there to Houghton Lake was because every year they have what's called Bud Bash. Thousands of people were there and it was only about eight or nine in the morning. The water was cold and I didn't really want to get in the water at that point in time. I actually was kind of peer pressured into getting into the water. I took off everything and put on my swimming trunks and continued to run down the dock as I was reaching the end of the dock I jumped off the side attempting to do a front flip, and as I lunged into the air my left foot slipped off the dock as I was doing the front flip and slowly went into a pencil dive and dove right into 3 ft of water snapping my neck. I immediately was paralyzed from the neck down. As I laid there in shock face down in the water I started to freak out and attempted to scream under the water. I was underneath the water for about 30 seconds until my girlfriend came to my rescue and picked me up out of the water. As she held me in her arms I was just limp. I literally couldn't move anything at all, everyone who was there with me started freaking out and crying and screaming. I could barely move my mouth as I was telling everyone to calm down everything will be fine, stop freaking out "I will be okay" I said. The ambulance were already on site thank the Lord. Everyone who was there assisted with putting me onto the dock without moving my neck. The ambulance put a neck brace on me and carried me to the ambulance. My girlfriend was absolutely freaking out and didn't know what to do. Weary rushed to the nearest hospital which was about a half hour away. When we got there I was airlifted to a hospital that specializes and spinal cord injuries. By the time I got there my aunt and uncle were already in the surgery room waiting for me. I came to a little bit to where I can speak to them before I went into surgery. The doctors told me I had a 50/50 chance of living. I was so scared but didn't really know what was going on because of everything that happened to me. I was in a coma for about 2 weeks and woke up on the ventilator. It was a long and hard Road to recovery for me. 6 months after my injury my girlfriend left my side and I went through a deep depression because of it for about 2 years. It took a long time to get over her and I started to study my body to see what I can and cannot do. I am able to use my laptop and my cell phone now which really helped me and my confidence grow. I have been to about five or six nursing homes I am currently in one right now. I have been in and out of the hospital probably 40 or 50 times since my accident due to bladder infections, sepsis, MRSA, cediff, and pressure ulcers so bad that it would scar you for the rest of your life. I am currently struggling right now with money and a permanent place to call home. It has been 8 years now since my accident and I still don't have everything I need. I don't have nothing and I mean nothing. I'm just really in a bad place and need some help from some people who care. I'm currently in a wheelchair that is not fit for me and is falling apart. I don't have a power chair which I need because it would boost my confidence level and I'd be able to move around by myself without someone pushing me. I try to get up into my wheelchair at least 4 days a week. The chair is so outdated for someone like me my arms just hang off the sides I have to have someone pull me up every other hour because I have spasms that lock up my entire body and slowly I slide down. I only get $37 a month in that is just not acceptable. I just ask you to donate whatever you can anything is a blessing for me. I am trying to get into school and get a job to where I can work remote from home. I know I lost about 90% of my Mobility but I still have my mind and it is very strong. I just want to get out of this situation and be successful to where I can live the best life I possibly can. I will be 28 October 7th and just want to do so much but I can't because I don't have the funds to get me started or a power chair to get me around and just make my life so much easier. I have the heart of a lion and I know I can accomplish anything that is put in my path. I just want you all to know that you can't take life for granted. You don't know what tomorrow is going to bring you. I took life for granite and look what happened to me. I also wanted to share my story and try to help people that are suffering depression or a similar situation and no that you can fight this. Anybody is capable of doing anything they want. I am really trying myself to stay positive and not think negative thoughts. I just want you all to know that I am not begging I am asking as a person Just As You Are. Everyone fights their own demons in their own ways, me I like to keep my siblings close because they are all I really have in my life. I just love my family with all my heart and I want to prove to them and prove to myself that I can do anything life throws at me. I just need a little help from you guys to boost me up and get me started. I promise to you all that I will start making videos on YouTube and really explain to you guys how I have gotten to such a hard and terrible situation. Thank you so much and I love you all for caring.
P.S, sorry for the punctuation and grammar LOL. I'm really good at spelling but punctuation and grammar is not my strong suit.
