The Inspiration Behind the Story

Dear Reader,

While shopping for my son’s baseball pants and a new glove, we met a guy named Jace. Jace is in his early twenties, a catcher, and has a charming smile. I asked him several questions about playing baseball, and he finally said, “I broke my neck—I don’t play anymore.”

I blinked several times. This healthy young man broke his neck? It didn’t computer. So, being the curious author that I am, I asked for his story. He was so wonderful explaining the way the truck had gone off a cliff on an icy road, flipped over, and smashed him between the dash and the roof. He explained that he crawled out of the truck, while holding his head up with his hands because his neck wouldn’t do the job. He scrambled up the embankment and, after everyone else had been taken care of, allowed the emergency personnel to load him into an ambulance.

 

His neck was indeed broken and he had two metal rods through his spine to hold it together. Not only would playing baseball be dangerous, he lacked the ability to rotate his arms to throw the ball. It was a heavy loss for him—to lose the ability to play the game he loved—but his smile, that charming grin, didn’t falter—hasn’t faltered. Every time I see Jace, he’s smiling.

 

I asked him if I could use his story for the inspiration for this book. He readily agreed. I can’t wait until I can place one in his hands (it’s on order and should be here soon) and thank him for sharing his story with me and allowing me to share it with you.

You can read Intentional Walk by clicking here.