How it all started...

    It was a beautiful July evening at my family cabin in Steeprock. In fact it was the July long weekend. There was an annual slo-pitch tournament being held there. Our team was looking to redeem ourselves from the previous year (0 wins...). We thought we had a pretty good team and were looking to at least win one game this time around. Everyone was looking forward to it. We spent the day having our own little mini practice, having a couple drinks, enjoying the day on the beach. It was around 6pm and we decided to go out in the boat for a few tube rides. Everything was fine and uneventful...
      I believe I was the 3rd tube ride (there were 5 or 6 of us in the boat). I was on the tube with my sister in law Ashley. We were having a blast hitting waves, trying to hold on for dear life. That's when something internally must have been set off.   
     According to Ashley I just let go of the tube and slid off, didn't hit a big wave or anything. When the boat came back around for me to get back on the tube I said to my brother that I was tired and wanted to get back in the boat. I got myself back into the boat under my own strength and sat down in the chair. All I remember is having a bad headache and saying I was tired. I was told a few months later that I tried to stand up to take off my lifejacket and fell backwards (I have no memory of that). I was sitting in the seat in the boat holding my head and feeling that pins and needles feeling in my fingers and toes on my left side. I remember saying "I think I'm going to be sick" and my brother's reply "not in the boat!". This would be my last memory of the incident...

This is the lake where my life changed.......