saddest true story, ever, of all time.

[mattness]

ok so i saw on advrider that a guy named clayton was going to go on an adventure ride a few years ago from seattle to argentina.

but shortly after he departed, something tragic happened.

he hit a donkey outside of Acapulco, and was paralyzed from the nipples down. basically two arms and a head.

story here.

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=136505

people on advrider sent him money to pay off medical bills and go to law school and have a fulfilling life. he was a very lively and smart young man.

but after becoming paralyzed, and living that nightmare, he couldnt take it anymore. he wrote a book and at the end included a detailed note of himself writing down the experience of his own death.

the book can be read here.

http://www.2arms1head.com/

in the advrider thread is a link to donate to a fund for stem cell research.

if you do decide to read any of Clayton's story, please have an open mind and imagine yourself in his shoes. as he said, he wasn't a coward for committing suicide, he was a coward for being too scared to die, and living a life like that. to him, life was about adventuring, and it was taken away.

i know he didnt believe in god and made it clear, but im sure there is a spirit world and i know he finished his trip there in his perfect body.

rest in peace man

 

[SpecOps13]

With the kind of work I've done and life I've lead, I've run this scenario through my brain a million times. What if it happened to me.:ummm:

I've been around long enough to know that many factors go into making a decision. A person, any person will act, react just slightly different depending on those factors. I've seen people who had proven time and again they were afraid of nothing, turn and run in certain situations. Others who were afraid of their own shadow pull off the boldest rescue imaginable..


I'm too old and broken to live with much more damage. Riding a VMax, I'm inviting tragedy. For me, Life away from the edge isn't life at all though.
Would I take my own life, depending on the factors involved, Yes. I ask forgiveness every night for those I've known who had to do just that. It's all of life or none at all....

 

[Ojref]

Riding a VMax, I'm inviting tragedy..

True. I was hit by a cop on my '91 Vmax on New Years day 2008. I'm rebuilding the bike now, got a standard settlement from the City of Houston, and I still have issues from the accident (I was wearing full gear at the time!)

I've been shot at in Iraq, and I got pitched down Mt. Tecate in California during drug interdiction operations during my tenure with the US Army. I'm a disabled vet - however through all these situations I've survived and can still wrench, cycle and work out. I'ts amazing how all the little mundane things in life we take for granted can all go away in the space of a few milliseconds. I'm lucky :worthy:

I don't know what I'd do if I was paralyzed.

 

[SpecOps13]

I was just today notified by my Attorney that we have a livable settlement for the accident my Wife and I had 2 years ago. A kid "Zoned Out and Woke Up When He Hit Us". Those were his exact words on the accident report. He hit our Explorer so hard it picked the rear end up off the ground and turned us 60 degrees. It pulled the factory radio out of the dash and threw us, seats and all to the back seat. If we'd been on a bike, we'd be Dead.

My Attorney couldn't understand why all I said was, "Good". He was ecstatic that we finally would receive reasonable compensation. This was the 3rd accident I've been involved in over the past 18 years. The second, Head On, almost put me in a wheel chair for good. My Dr's can't understand why I'm not paralyzed after this last one. I probably won't get through another so lucky... If it's on a bike, I'd just as soon die at the scene.

We keep buying bigger vehicles to make them survivable, currently a 6,500 lb Tahoe.

On the flip side, My Wife thinks I should sell the 3 bikes I have and buy a Gen II... Man, I just got the 94 to run perfect, all it needs is a little clutch work. The 89, I've got 250 hours work into it and it will be running fine soon. I just don't know. Maybe I'll buy a 50 Cal Barrett instead. :biglaugh::biglaugh::biglaugh:

 

[Saml01]

So they paid for all his medical bills, sent him to law school and he committed suicide?

Am I the only one that thinks that is fucked up.

 

[mattness]

as he said, he died that day in acapulco

I know the people I love are going to be so upset about this but there is no need! Please, don’t! I’m fine and everything you should be feeling badly about is behind me now. All of my suffering is over and it was horrible, nightmarish torture that I went through for the last year. It’s okay now. I have no fear, it is only sadness because of everything I still wanted to do but as I’ve said so many times all of that was gone anyway.

 

[satariel666]

So they paid for all his medical bills, sent him to law school and he committed suicide?

Am I the only one that thinks that is fucked up.

This is a tragic story but i say +1 for you.

 

[RaWarrior]

So they paid for all his medical bills, sent him to law school and he committed suicide?

Am I the only one that thinks that is fucked up.

No, I'd agree with that. Especially after reading a bit from his book-website, there's some truly weird stuff in there. He freely admits that he had everything going for him, that he could have gone on to a fulfilling life, and knows all the abilities of paraplegics. He never really explains why, and instead launches into "philosophy" about assisted suicide laws, and other stuff that isn't particularly interesting, almost like dodging his own question. He likes to relate himself(a paraplegic with money, family, education, friends) to life-in-prison inmates, Terry Schaivo, or torture victims that have no hope of ever recovering or doing anything again, and goes on to advocate how those people should all be killed, and thus, he should die too. Sorry, I don't see the connection.

"And let’s be honest here, more or less everybody thinks it’s clear as day that head quadriplegics need to die......... people point out people like Christopher Reeve and Stephen Hawking to me when I know damn well most of them would rather die than wake up tomorrow in either one of their conditions."

No, I don't think that at all. I've known a quadriplegic who had a very happy life, and had lived like that for over 20 years. He has little money and no family and wakes up each morning full of life and vigor, even if the highlight of his day is chatting with nurses and maybe a visitor.

Sure to be a philosophy classic one day as well...
"“My goldfish died, therefore I’m going to kill myself.” Not unreasonable. There is no problem with my reasoning powers. They are probably far better than yours."


Whatever, somehow he convinced himself he needed to die, he offed himself, the world kept turning. He got his "revenge against God" or whatever he was going for, since it doesn't take a genius to figure out he's extremely anti-Christian, anti-God, anti-belief in anything.

 

[mattness]

ya i wondered what was up with that part too. he must have been really depressed. just the way he talks about certain things, makes him seem angry.

but i think if i suffered as much as he did, id rethink a few of my beliefs also

 

[Redbone]

While some may say he was right in choosing his own death, I think it's the weaker decision. With his money and education he could have gone onto help many people after him to live a better life if he would have tried.
Suicide is such a selfish act in my book, it devalues their family/ friends feelings and love by removing them from your life. :damn angry:

 

[RaWarrior]

Suicide is such a selfish act in my book, it devalues their family/ friends feelings and love by removing them from your life. :damn angry:

+1, my thoughts exactly.

 

[Saml01]

I feel worse for the people who donated their money and most importantly their emotions into helping this guy and this is how he treats them.

 

[AtlasMax]

To really live, you gotta give.

This guy committed the ultimate selfish act because he couldn't get past his own needs to motivate himself, when he could have offered what he had to others. He could not realize his potential to contribute because he was wrapped up in his own needs feeling sorry for himself until he drove him self insane.

Life is the ultimate gift, to remove it when full potential was never realized (in whatever form that is) is wasteful insanity.

Philosophy? Yes perhaps. Feel sorry for him? Not a chance.