Chris Soldiers On - Uninvited Transitions

Cpl. Chris Klodt doesn't remember much about the moment he became paralyzed.

In July, 2006, as he and his fellow soldiers moved through fields and farmhouses in Afghanistan, they suddenly came under attack from Taliban rebels. Amid an exchange of gunfire, one of the bullets hit Chris, piercing his throat and shattering two vertebrae in his spine.

He awoke from sedation 8 days later, back in Canada, to find he was paralyzed from the chest down. Asked about how he reacted to that news, soft-spoken Chris, now 29, insists he didn't have much time to spend mourning, because he had other pressing matters: his wife was just weeks away from giving birth. "I wasn't thinking about me. I was more focused on Deena being pregnant."

Chris quickly embraced fatherhood. But these days, he also has a new role: he's become a top-ranked wheelchair rugby player. He says if there's one thing military life taught him, it's to persevere.

Chris heard about Soldier On and accessed their services. Soldier On fills a funding gap. But more than that, it ensures that wounded soldiers can return to physical fitness and reap both the physical and mental benefits of exercise. And, at the same time, it allows injured soldiers the chance to interact with others with similar injuries and illnesses – something that can be invaluable, Chris says.

Read more of this story at  http://goo.gl/HvaFG 

Chris Klodt’s story illustrates some elements of thriving through uninvited transitions:

• Focus on caring for others
• Recognize you still have a great life to live
• Maintain determination and perseverance
• Boldly access available services
• Give and receive peer support
• Experience physical and mental benefits of exercise

In coming posts we will explore these and other strategies for great transitions.

Lorne