Sue Monk Kidd, the author of The Secret Life of Bees, said, “Stories have to be told or they die, and when they die, we can’t remember who we are or why we’re here.”UAHS graduate Blake Haxton has quite a story to share and even though he has shared it through TED talks, keynote addresses and other forums, every time that story sails into a new set of ears, something magical invariably happens:
People get inspired.
Inspired to see beyond what meets the eye.
Inspired to act even if we aren't sure where we're going.
Inspired to think about who we are, so we can discover--just like he has--why we're "here."
And getting inspired is the whole reason Eva Frustaci asked him to come speak to her eleventh and twelfth grade IB HL Business classes.
“People say you’re young; you have time to figure...out [what you want to do with your life]," Haxton told them, "and they’re right, but there is everything wrong with not urgently trying to find out. Pick something and try it. Commit to it wholeheartedly. Do it really, really well...now you have something on your resume.”
As he said it, he wheeled around, pacing as naturally as anyone with two legs and beating heart, with a message to spread and a room of eager adolescents waiting to hear it.
And those who know Haxton’s story know that he knows a thing or two about doing things really well, even if they aren’t the things he ultimately set out to do in the first place.
Haxton started out by taking students back to the worst moment of his life, back to his senior year in high school. He felt pain in his calf and that pain escalated quickly. He ended up in the ICU for two months, ultimately being diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis and waking up from a coma to learn that he had lost both of his legs. As one of the best rowing athletes to come out of UAHS, he was in position to row at a Division I school; however, in a single day, all of those plans suddenly changed course.
Haxton could have given up. Instead, he defied the odds; through mindset, hard work and what he believes is divine intervention, he recovered in a way that shocked even doctors. Haxton had to endure over 20 surgeries and extensive physical therapy, but he says that other than losing his legs, he has had no other lingering effects of his illness.
He went on to graduate from UAHS, The Ohio State University, and the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law. He currently works at Diamond Hill Capital Management, and in 2014, he found a way to return to the sport he loved, earning a spot on the adaptive paralympic rowing team. A few days after speaking to students, Haxton was off to compete in the adaptive men’s single sculls event at the World Rowing Championships in Florida, where he placed 6th in the world.
Haxton was invited to speak to the class in an effort to inspire students as they embark on a project called Socktober. This project is an authentic learning opportunity that allows IB students in Frustaci’s business class to create a company, develop a marketing plan and sell “crazy” socks to students, teachers, parents, and anyone else who wants to buy them. Sales benefit the community in two ways. First, for every set of socks students sell, the company We Help Two will donate a set to those less fortunate, and for every 80 sets of socks students sell, they raise the funds to buy one prosthetic leg for someone in need.
While this cause seems important without an extra dose of inspiration, inviting Haxton in to talk to students elevated it from important to urgent. Students had the chance to interact with someone who once sat in their seats. Someone who, in a single day, had his entire life changed. This gave them a sense of purpose, but it also did something else.
Haxton didn’t come to share his story only so he could inspire them to sell socks. He came to inspire them beyond the project. He shared what he has learned since high school. He gave them the gift of perspective, and he showed them the humanity, the value, the significance of doing our part to extend a hand to those who need it, so they can give right back.
And anyone who has followed Haxton at all, sees how much he gives back.
“People can go through hard things as long as they can find the meaning in it,” he told students in response to a question about how you get back up from something devastating. “Meaning comes from the relationships. I lost my legs, but I am filthy rich with the friends I have….It’s not hard to be upbeat when you see the good in people. So you need to fight for your friendships. Don’t let them go.”
He went on to tell them that people see his challenge because it is visible. He used to walk into a room at 6’3” and when he left the hospital, he was bound to a wheelchair. He acknowledged that it was difficult to adapt and that he still misses his legs, but he told students that he was “having a great day.” He also told them that he has figured out how to do most of the things he did before. “There are people in the room dealing with harder things than I am right now," he told students, "you can see my pain, but just because you can't see pain doesn't mean it isn't there. "
His message resonated with the sea of faces around him. Students asked provocative questions; they listened to his advice. Though he gave them plenty to think about, perhaps the nugget that jumped out most was when he reminded them that while they have time according to statistics, none of us know how much time we have--with either our current reality or with life itself.
“I didn’t do anything wrong,” Haxton told them, reflecting on his illness. “I didn’t drink. Wasn’t a big risk taker. I didn’t see it coming. I wasn't even in the river that day." And yet despite all of this, something bad happened and he had to deal with it. Haxton pointed out that "four people in [his] class already died." Those students didn't get the second chance he did, and that statistic offered everyone a staggering dose of reality.
"We are only 26 [years old]," Haxton reflected, "the stats say that’s abnormal. So you better get after it….if you want to leave an impact that is bigger than you, start right now. Go urgently find out what it is. And then try it.”
The very next day, Frustaci's students had a chance to try, to pursue a purpose much larger than themselves. They had the chance to embrace empathy on equal part with opportunity. They had the chance to learn curriculum and make a difference.
After listening to Haxton's plea to get started, they had the chance to jump--urgently--into something.
And for that reason, I tossed aside my inclination to wear monochromatic socks. Today, in honor of Socktober, I put on a pair of their crazy ones.
If you want to help, you can visit the page here to support UAHS students in their quest to secure funding for 16 legs.
