The Day I Met Craig

The day I met Craig changed my life. It was subtle, but admittedly profound. I work in the Accessibility Lab of the university library, where he came after his accident to see what accessible keyboards and programs we had. As I talked with him, his attitude astounded me.

He joked freely that now he had an excuse for being bad at basketball, and the fact that he was missing a hand was a great conversation starter. He told me he was shy and sometimes didn’t know what to talk about, but now the more posts I read, the more I doubt that and believe he was being humble instead. It wasn’t until later that I found out that his accident had happened only a week or two before our conversation, and his attitude was already phenomenal.

I’ve seen a lot of people with disabilities. I’ve had personal friends who began dealing with one, or discover they shortly will be, and I can tell you without hesitation that I have never seen anyone who took such a startling event so gracefully. He wasn’t bitter—he didn’t even seem sad. He took what was given him and ran with it, and I often remember that when I’m faced with something difficult. I think I may throw more pirate parties in the future.

Thanks for your example, Craig. The world needs more men like you.

--Marie S.