A wakeboarding accident in Florida left the former world champion Brad Smeele a quadriplegic, confined to a wheelchair and almost ready to give up on life.
The injury changed everything for the 29-year-old. The days of back-to-back summers wakeboarding around the world was over. Instead, his new full-time job was learning how to walk again.
Two years on, Smeele hasn't given up hope of moving around on his own two feet one day. But a major part of his progress hasn't been physical, but mental.
"I'm more focused on wanting to be happy -- hanging out with friends, doing fun things and keeping myself busy. It's accepting that this is where I am and not trying to fight it everyday," he said. "I'll never lose hope of the chance of walking again."
Smeele's recovery is shared with his 15,000 Facebook followers, and is scattered with videos, scientific updates about spinal cord injury, and as always, wakeboarding news.