by:
Tommy, aka TommySnow My name is Tommy. I was reading an email from MSWorld and came across a request for talent. (poets, artists or anything that posted online to inspire people). Inspiring people and motivation is right up my alley! In 2001 I could hardly walk, my balance was so bad I needed a cane and my speech slurred so much that the guy who never shuts up hardly said anything at all.
Yep, that is when MS became a part of my life. I do admit at first I was scared as hell. I had my 2nd child on the way, just bought a house and now I had MS. Nice. My neuro had a nurse named Martha. She told me I could let MS run my life or I could run MS. She may not have realized it but those words triggered something in me. It made me remember that I have always been a fighter. I never back down from a challenge and especially not now.
I did the therapy I needed to do in order to get moving again. I then decided to pursue a dream. I had a lot of people tell me that I was crazy, that people with MS shouldn't do things like that, I was going to get hurt. And that it was impossible for me to even think about. Well crazy, impossible, might get hurt? I thought cool, lets do it. What I did was pursue a dream some people laugh at, some scoff at but some praise and give joy because it was no easy task. I became a pro wrestler.
Now I know alot of people don't really understand that. I get asked questions like "you mean that stuff on TV?" or "isn't that stuff all fake anyway" I laugh at the "fake" word. Predetermined yes, but a slam is a slam and the blood is real!. And so are the injuries. I have been blessed not to get injured too bad. I have had some setbacks but I always bounced back.
Training to be a pro wrestler was no easy task. I hurt in places I didn't know I could hurt in. One thing I made super sure that I did was keep My MS under wraps. I didn't want anyone to know. I kept it a secret for over 5 years. During that 5 year span I wrestled most every match possible and won a tag team and a hardcore title! I met some people who were new to MS. I told them my story and I saw HOPE in their eyes. It was then I decided keeping my MS a secret wasn't doing anyone any good. It was selfish of me to keep it to myself. So I opened up and told everyone. Thought it would affect me getting booked as a wrestler. It didn't. My matches actually picked up. Not because I told everyone about my MS. It was the determination and Never Surrender attitude I had.
It's been 9 years now since I started living my dream as a pro wrestler. I have held a couple tag team titles, a hardcore title and the NWA/PWF Texas title. I got published in a magazine called Momentum, am giving speeches and have met and hopefully inspired some people. I always tell people "God didn't curse you with MS, He challenged you!" I challenge anyone who reads this to strive for the best, live life, don't take NO for an answer and most of all - NEVER SURRENDER!
All materials published in LivingMS™ are protected by copyright laws.
