Preface Why I Wrote This This book was not written to impress anyone. It was written to record a life. Not a perfect life. Not an easy life. Just a real one. Over the years many people have asked me to write these experiences down. Some were family members. Some were friends. Some were people who heard parts of the story and said, "You should write that." For a long time I did not. Life was busy. Work demanded attention. Family needed time. And many of the experiences themselves were still unfolding. But eventually I realized something important. Memories fade. Details disappear. And if experiences are not written down, the lessons inside them are often lost. So this book is my attempt to preserve those moments. Some of what you will read may seem unusual. Surviving an accident that shattered every bone in my head. Recovering movement after doctors predicted decades of paralysis. Engineering discoveries that led to patents.