Life to the Max Podcast
Welcome to 'Life to the Max Podcast,' where resilience meets inspiration!
Join us on a transformative journey through the life stories of remarkable individuals, including Quadriplegic Army Veteran Maximilian Gross. In this empowering podcast, we dive into tales of triumph, courage, and the human spirit's unwavering ability to overcome obstacles.
Our show is a celebration of diverse narratives, from awe-inspiring achievements to the darkest of traumas. 'Life to the Max' is a testament to the power of living authentically, no matter the circumstances. We believe that everyone has a unique story worth sharing, and we invite individuals from all walks of life to join us.
Discover the profound meaning of living 'Life to the Max'—a concept that resonates differently with each storyteller. It's a journey of perspective, resilience, and finding joy amidst life's challenges. Tune in to be inspired, motivated, and reminded that there's strength in every story.
Ready to redefine what it means to live life to the fullest? Share your story with us and become a part of this uplifting community. Because, at 'Life to the Max,' every story matters.
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Life to the Max Podcast
Walkers vs Wheelies: George Alfaro's 45 Years in a Wheelchair
I sat down with Jorgé Alfaro – celebrating his 56th birthday and marking 45 years since a childhood shooting left him with a T7 spinal cord injury – for a conversation that crackles with authenticity, humor, and hard-earned wisdom.
The energy between us is electric as we discover our shared Chicago-area roots and military backgrounds, bonding over similar journeys despite our different generations. Georgie speaks candidly about facing teenage insecurities after his injury, being "that clown that cries in the night with a big smile." Together we explore how disability forces a complete reinvention of self – a challenging process that ultimately creates strength and purpose.
Our conversation delves into the unique perspectives wheelchair users develop, constantly calculating paths 40 feet ahead while "walkers" only worry about what's eight inches in front of them. We explore deeper territory: the vital importance of mentorship, the role of faith in recovery, and our shared mission to serve as "beacons for the lost ships" – guiding others through their own journeys of adaptation and growth. This episode perfectly encapsulates what happens when two people who've faced similar challenges connect through honest conversation, revealing how limitation can transform into liberation when you're determined to live life to the max. Subscribe now and join our community of warriors who refuse to be defined by circumstance.
What's up, guys? As you can see, we're not in the studio at home. We're actually at the Abilities Expo in Chicago and this podcast is going to be a little different. It's going to be like a speedcast. The sound is not going to be as great because of how wide open this space is, but I hope you guys enjoy it. Please enjoy this Lif to the max. Speedcast.
Speaker 2:Just a couple of puns all trying to get by. Just a couple of teens all trying to survive. Live to the max, cause you don't live it twice. Couple green thumbs all high as a cat what's up everybody?
Speaker 1:it is life to the max podcast and we are live at the abilities expo in chicago, illinois. It is june 22nd 2025 and today I have georgie, yeah, georgie, uh, you were telling me that. Uh, people call you for hey you know what they call me?
Speaker 2:nobody calls me Jorge. Really, as much as I want that, everybody's just Georgie. I want to claim myself as Georgie. Georgie, Nobody's buying that crap. Straight bougie, yeah, straight bougie.
Speaker 1:I wish Well for everybody. Listening, I mean. Georgie is going to be the name. Got it, so tell me a little bit about yourself?
Speaker 2:Yeah, Obviously. You see, I'm in a wheelchair, spinal cord injury. I got shot when I was about like nine years old. Friends playing with a gun, Of course me. An idiot playing with it too, you know. Yeah, I walk away. They're still toying with it. Bang, you know right in my lower my, my upper mid spine, T seven. So now I'm get this. I'm 55. Max, today's my frigging birthday, no lie.
Speaker 1:So I got 22nd. Yes, sir.
Speaker 2:Thank you sir, nobody got me fucking cake today but okay. All right, no fucking cake for me today, all right, so yeah, so that's that's. That's basically it. So I've lived my literally my whole life, 55 years. I turned 56 today. Uh, 55 years, uh well, 40, 45 years in a wheelchair 45 years in a wheelchair.
Speaker 1:Yes, sir, Uh. How has that been? How has the progression from? The years with the ADA and everything.
Speaker 2:You know what it is, tumax, because my injury happened so young, you know, I didn't see the full ramifications and the obstacles until I hit my teen years. Okay, like a lot of insecurities came about at that time, you know, I started thinking more about. The important things of my teen years were like lunch, gym and women, right. So I'm thinking I'm starting to get insecure. I got the erectile dysfunction thing. The plumbing doesn't work that well. Back in those days the medicinals did not exist, so I had that sense of insecurity. So during my teen years, yeah, I was a social son of a bitch but very insecure. You know, I was that one clown that you know cries in the night, you know, with a big old smile. Nobody really knew it, but I I did find mentorship and I think that's what helped me.
Speaker 1:Uh, do that 180, me too, uh. When I got injured I was all over the place. I uh. I got injured in a car accident when I was in the military. I was, uh, 20 years old at the time.
Speaker 2:How old are you now?
Speaker 1:I'm 29 oh man, yeah, you're almost a decade into it almost a decade yeah, you're definitely veteran of this lifestyle, yeah uh, I mean, dude, I used to go to like clubs without the bag to like make sure I stay alive.
Speaker 2:Yeah. And every bag is like such a life, of life to the max, the way we have to amend our lives, just you know it's. I think that journey in itself, max, is what makes this lifestyle like pretty interesting. You know, trust me, it's difficult to adjust, no doubt. You know, you went through it, I did too. But the fact of that journey and succeeding these little milestones of reinventing yourself again, it's pretty nice.
Speaker 1:I like that word reinventing yourself Because that's what I had to do. So when I got injured I could say, okay, I'm going to succumb to the devil or I'm going to persevere. And I was like my girlfriend just left me and I felt like alone and sad. And then I just did this one thing and I was like you know what I'm going to get? Good, I'm going to learn this life Right. And you know, if, god forbid, there's a scientific solution that comes in the future, then I'll do that. But if not, I'm going to live my life to the max. Hence the name Life to the Max. Yeah, I mean it'siant. By life to the max I'm sitting life to the max.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean, it's hard to get to that point where people say what was your aha moment, when did you realize that being in a wheelchair was not going to be that bad? And I tell people oh fuck that shit. I mean, being in a wheelchair is not fun, you know. But we know how to adjust to our lifestyle. I always have like like plan B, c and D ready to go, because that's the way I have to live my life. Not everything is as easy as it is for the I don't want to use the word the walking man, you know what I mean, well, the able bodies, the able bodies, the ABs, the little, the walkie talkies and shit.
Speaker 2:Right, it's like the walkers, right.
Speaker 1:The walkers.
Speaker 2:Right, I swear to god, yeah, but yeah, I they. I tell everybody this, I like walking. People only have to worry about a perspective from here to eight inches in front of you our perspective, it winds more. We're worried about what's going on from here to like 40 feet up in front of us, you know. I mean we have to like, reinvent, like a whole new path, that's 100%.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, you know it, it starts in the morning. Yeah, exactly, it starts right in the morning.
Speaker 2:Ig, motherfucking, exactly. Yes, and pardon my language too, max, I'm from Chicago. We have no cooth here in Chicago.
Speaker 1:No, we don't. Where are you from, Max? I'm from the suburbs of Chicago.
Speaker 2:Oh, you're from around here. Get the fuck out of here, oh dude.
Speaker 1:Elgin man.
Speaker 2:Elgin, okay, you're a neighbor you gotta come on my podcast.
Speaker 1:Bro, I would love to it's in West Dundee, if you're okay with that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah. Actually, I go to the shooting range up there at Gat Guns you go to Gat Guns. I gat guns. Do you want a cat? I literally live right by cat. Oh really, yes, yeah, yes, you guys have that gal, because when she said alfaro's, I was like man in this area we got an alfaro's.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I don't know, you guys were in illinois bro, oh, this is good you're, you're really, you're like a little fire cracker man bro you know what it is.
Speaker 2:It's just when I see a bunch of my brother in here. You know what I mean. You get that sense of I'm going to use this word because I already feel normal but you get a more sense of more normality. You know what I mean. You're amongst your people here. I like to see that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's where the majority, not the walkers.
Speaker 2:Right, right, right. We commiserate with them, you know.
Speaker 1:We have to. You know, we have to.
Speaker 2:They can walk around if they want Right, right this is our house. This is our house. Go do your zombified shit, because you never see no wheelchair zombie ever. All right, you don't see that? They're all walking.
Speaker 1:I love your enthusiasm, man Right on. I want to go back to what you said about mentor.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes.
Speaker 1:I was going down the wrong path to the prostitutes Like, well, yeah, drawers.
Speaker 2:God, is this prior to your injury?
Speaker 1:This is after my injury. Wow yeah, post-injury Holy shit bro.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's a tough road.
Speaker 1:That was tough.
Speaker 2:How did you get through that?
Speaker 1:Yes, so my battalion commander, lieutenant Colonel Chris Smith. I was in the military. I was infantry, he was in Black Hawk Down and all these crazy events. Yeah yeah, he kind of like he like the first. Like I texted him I was like hey, sir, I don't know if you remember me he texted back right away.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And he was like hey, man, can I call you? And he said I'll never forget what he said. He's like how are you doing? And then he said, how's your faith? And I'm like what, what do you mean? How's your faith? And then, like John, you have to believe in something to live this life. Because you know you can't just sit there and believe in nothing. I always tell atheists even though you're an atheist, you believe in nothing. So you actually believe in something because you believe in nothing. That's what I tell atheists.
Speaker 2:That sounds ignorantly logistic of nothing. So you actually believe in something because you believe in nothing. That's what I tell ADSL. That sounds ignorantly logistic.
Speaker 1:Logical, but let's do a full podcast at my house.
Speaker 2:You're fucking awesome, dude, that's what we got to do, man. We talk about the lifestyle and how you and I had to recalibrate our perspective 100%. You know what I mean.
Speaker 1:Nine years later, I'm very and how you and I had to recalibrate our perspective. A hundred percent. You know what I mean and nine years later, I'm very grateful to be a part of this community.
Speaker 2:You have to be boss.
Speaker 1:And I'm grateful to change people's lives and change, as you say, walk and talk lives Without a doubt.
Speaker 2:Without a doubt, thanks. I helped run a peer mentoring program at Shirley Ryan Ability Lab. You know I'm part of the peer mentoring program there, so I talk to people about.
Speaker 1:I would love to be a part of it, dude, because I was RIC I think you're?
Speaker 2:Is that your alma mater? I was RIC, bro. What the hell when you been? Seventh floor, seventh floor? You and I should have been drinking beers and freaking, you know, talking shit together.
Speaker 1:I'm not Shirley Ryan, I'm RIC bro, oh, you're old school. I'm old school. You're old school, bro.
Speaker 2:All right, what did you say, ric? That's old school. Nobody knows the bricks over there. Okay, all these new guys. They're like. What the hell is that? I'm like yeah.
Speaker 1:I we know.
Speaker 2:RIC, I know you, I love you on that one big boy, I love you on that one.
Speaker 1:Well, man, it was great having you.
Speaker 2:Thanks a lot, max Happy birthday. Hey, thank you so much. My bro Happy birthday.
Speaker 1:If I had a cake, I'd throw it in your face.
Speaker 2:And if I catch it on my face, I'm eating that fucker too Do you have anything, you would like this. I think people like you, people like me. I think it's what this world needs. We are the beacon for the lost ships of people kind of like the lost people that are looking for an avenue of positivity. Yes, you have to keep doing this and I'm glad you're on this spectrum.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, I hope more people find you bro. I really hope so too, and I hope that we're able to impact people's lives bro, keep your, keep your beacon bright, bro, keep it bright.
Speaker 2:Thanks, man, I'm fucking serious for everybody listening.
Speaker 1:If you enjoyed this content, please like, comment and subscribe and, as always, take a breath for me.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much my man, am I the next best thing, but I think I'm the closest.