This Is It! The Podcast by Thriving Yinzers
This Is It! The Podcast by Thriving Yinzers is your no-nonsense go-to for pushing through overwhelm and building a life that actually feels good. Life is messy, unpredictable and rarely goes as planned. Hosted by Sherry and Jodi, this podcast connects you to shared experiences and useful resources to help you to go from surviving to thriving.
We’re just real people dealing with real shit, sharing the small, intentional choices that lead to real change. No quick fixes, just honest conversations, practical strategies, and the encouragement you need to keep going and growing. Because this is it, your one LIFE, don't waste it wishing.
This Is It! The Podcast by Thriving Yinzers
Dan the Man: A Ranger's Journey Through Recovery
Dan Heffley's journey of recovery and resilience after experiencing a massive stroke at age 31 demonstrates extraordinary courage & determination as he continues to build a fulfilling life despite significant challenges.
• Former Army Ranger who suffered a stroke after a carotid artery tear, affecting the entire left side of his brain
• Lives with apraxia (difficulty coordinating speech muscles) and aphasia (knowing what to say but being unable to form the words)
• Family support played crucial role in his recovery
• Maintains an "A+" attitude despite setbacks, says "it sucks, but oh well"
• Participates in regular speech therapy at Duquesne University for 20+ years
• Discovered painting as a creative outlet & enjoys restoring furniture
• Stays connected with fellow Army Rangers
• Mastered tying his shoes one-handed after persistent practice
• Demonstrates the reality of neuroplasticity through continued improvement over 2 decades
• Lives independently and maintains an active social life in his community
To FOLLOW Dan's continued progress, visit https://www.facebook.com/SupportDanHeffley
Resources to help stroke survivors & Families to heal & rediscover joy after stroke.
American Stroke Association – Recovery Resources for Patients
The "Life After Stroke" guide provides practical strategies to help individuals regain independence and adapt to new routines. Stroke Family Warmline (1-888-4-STROKE) connects survivors & caregivers with trained team members for support and info.
www.stroke.org
Stroke Onward – Emotional Recovery Guide
Focuses on the often-overlooked emotional aspects of stroke recovery, addressing topics such as grieving the loss of one's former self, rebuilding identity, and finding meaning post-stroke. It offers tools and insights to support survivors in navigating the complex emotional landscape of recovery.
Stroke Onward
After Stroke – Peer Support Network
Peer support network that connects stroke survivors & caregivers for emotional support & shared experiences including 1-on-1 peer support both online & in-person support groups
Send us a one way text here! (We can’t see your phone number)
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Let TY Services help conquer overwhelm at thrivingyinzers.com.
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Books referenced on the podcast.
Atomic Habits by James Clear (paid link)
Atomic Habits for Kindle
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck (paid link)
Other Tools for Going and Growing mentioned on the Podcast
Stay Hydrated Bundle (paid link)
Stay Well Rested (paid link)
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Some segments of this episode are available on video at our social media channels at TYPGHPOD, on Instagram or our Facebook page. This Is it, the podcast by Thriving Yinzers.
Speaker 2:Hi everyone, welcome back to this. Is it the podcast by Thriving Yinzers where today we explore finding your strength to keep going and growing through life's hardest moments? We are honored to welcome Dan Hefley, a former Army Ranger whose life changed forever after a massive stroke at just 31 years old. The stroke affected the left side of his brain, resulting in significant impairments to the right side of his body, as well as both apraxia and aphasia. Despite these obstacles, dan has demonstrated remarkable resilience in his recovery journey over a span of more than 20 years, a testament to his determination. His stroke may have altered the course of his life, but it never shook his will to keep moving forward. Dan Hefley's recovery is a powerful reminder that resilience is about meeting hardship with grit, giving yourself grace and making the choice to start showing up. So here are the Hefleys and my co-host, jody Good. Hi, hi.
Speaker 3:Dan, how are you?
Speaker 2:We're doing good. Thank you for coming. Yeah, good, good.
Speaker 3:All right Ready.
Speaker 4:We're ready. Let's go With Dan's brothers, sean and Patrick. His family has played a crucial role in his recovery, ensuring he was always surrounded by loved ones during the rehabilitation process. Some of them are here today to assist Dan. As Dan does struggle still to articulate responses due to apraxia and aphasia, before we get started, can someone explain apraxia and aphasia Before we get started?
Speaker 2:can someone explain apraxia and aphasia to our listeners?
Speaker 5:Yeah, so apraxia and aphasia. It's common for brain injury folks to have Apraxia and aphasia. Aphasia is you know what you want to say but you just can't get the words in. Your brain's not making that connection. It's like being in a foreign land, not being able to communicate but knowing what you want to say. Apraxia is more to do with the coordination of your tongue and moving in your mouth and making sounds. That's the real general terms. I'm not a speech therapist or doctor so I couldn't explain beyond that?
Speaker 4:No, that helps. Thanks for sharing. That's helpful for the listeners to know and understand, so thank you for coming to support Dan in this podcast recording too. We appreciate it.
Speaker 2:And thank you, dan Well thanks for having us.
Speaker 5:It's a blessing that you guys are doing this. Yeah, thank you, thank you.
Speaker 4:I mean, it's truly an honor.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we really appreciate your courage to be open with it and sharing your journey. We know that these experiences are very personal and we're really thankful to have you here to reflect on that journey and the road you've traveled and to remind us all what finding your strength can really look like. And we also just want to thank you for your service, for the time that you spent as an Army Ranger prior to your injury. Good Thank you.
Speaker 4:Hopefully you can inspire other people that are struggling and aren't able to maybe stay in the positive space that you've been in.
Speaker 2:Because there's just something about your presence, Dan, that stays with people, and I would say that it's your smile, because you have a winter smile, but it's also it's your mindset, it's your resilience and it's the way that you've kept showing up for life. You may not have set out to inspire anyone, but you really have, oh well. And your strength speaks louder than.
Speaker 3:Words.
Speaker 2:Okay, did you catch that? Just as I was about to say to Dan, your strength speaks louder than words. He finished my sentence with the word words in a full circle moment. That shows just how far he's come. The way that you're showing up every day for life just really makes people believe that they can keep going too, and that's good stuff, and we want to help pass on that resilient spirit to even more people.
Speaker 3:All right.
Speaker 2:Dan's journey is a story of persistence and the truth that you never know who you're inspiring just by showing up. We've talked about two books in previous podcasts that really tap into journeys like Dan's. That explain how your mindset and daily habits can really create the change you may tap into to heal, recover or grow. While the ideas in the books are backed in science, dan is living proof.
Speaker 5:He's a living testament of a lot of the concepts in all those books.
Speaker 2:What's incredible about Dan's story is that his mindset didn't come from reading the right book or quoting the right research. He didn't study atomic habits or neuroplasticity. He lived it. The strength was already within him and day by day, he let that strength lead. And that reminds us you don't need to be an expert in personal development to grow, but you do need the willingness to try again. Today, he really embodies what James Clear calls atomic habits and what Carol Dweck describes as a growth mindset. We talk about these two books a lot, because these two concepts are a really great foundation for creating lasting change and growth which ultimately result in a better life ahead. And Dan is living it, despite still having significant challenges. We're not just highlighting recovery. We're also honoring the steady, powerful presence of strength in the day-to-day stuff. This is a story of grit, growth and the courage to keep showing up. So let's begin.
Speaker 5:We'd like to go back to the moment that changed and shifted everything for Dan and his family. So I'm going to summarize yeah, a tree fell and he jumped out of the way.
Speaker 5:He had a tear in his carotid artery. That's one of the main arteries going up to your brain on your left-hand side. He had a pain in his neck for a couple of days and one morning I think probably three or four days after that, his work found him on the floor underneath his desk and then called the ambulance, got him to Strickley Valley because he was working in Coriopolis, and then they got him to Presby and it's all kind of like slow and when you have a stroke, every minute is important because they say after like a few hours, you're just slowly, your brain is dying, you're not getting oxygen to your brain. By the time they got him down there, hours have passed. Ultimately, his whole left side of his brain is gone, died. It's just a mass of tissue just really doing a whole lot. Looking back at it, I was like why did it take so long? There was no sense of urgency and with a stroke victim, every minute counts.
Speaker 5:Wasn't getting any. And then that evening you know it was we didn't think he was going to make it through the night. The doctor came on and said you know, basically he may not make it through the night, he might die. So from Dan's perspective it was all kind of a blur for us, but still I remember, we all remember.
Speaker 2:You'll never forget.
Speaker 5:Never forget. I'll pause with that. Pat. Do you want to add anything to that? Well, just like you said, the time it took from when it happened I think it was in the morning and yeah to go to to Swickley and then down to Oakland. I remember being in the hospital at like 10, 11. That's when they were like we helped to open that up and relieve that pressure. Yeah, and I was at work and then I got the call and I actually beat them down, the presby and he was coming in off the ambulance and and I was at the door coming in and Dan looked at me and he like gave a thumbs up. You know I was like, okay, cool, it could be all right. That was a very cool hook for that moment. And ultimately that night, that evening, the doctor came in and basically told us in the waiting room that he's likely not to make it through the night.
Speaker 4:Oh, wow. Yeah, yeah, it was and at that point, when you got that news, the whole family was there together, right Like your parents. Everybody was there.
Speaker 5:We found out he'd probably die, and then it was a couple of weeks in the ICU. My dad spent every night there holding his hand and we all took shifts and visiting, so he was never alone without a family member, unless the doctors kicked us out of the room.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Wow, yeah, it's devastating. You mentioned, you remembered, the moment when you knew that Dan wasn't going to be the same but that you knew that he was going to do his best to kick ass at this.
Speaker 5:Her dad tells a story about how he he squeaked. Dan squeaked like answered him Because my dad sang songs to him all the time and talked all the time, and Dan started responding like squeezing his hand and stuff.
Speaker 2:And that gives you that hope that, okay, we're going to build from here. And I would imagine that it was from that moment forward that that uphill journey started, and that was one that required the strength of Dan and his family and support and patience. And you know it's a tough go like for all of you, and you know so many people. It takes you down, but it didn't.
Speaker 3:And oh no.
Speaker 2:Nothing's, nothing's taken. Dan the man.
Speaker 3:No, no, no no.
Speaker 2:What was it that helped keep you going, as you began to understand the seriousness of what happened and also were you aware of the journey that lied ahead for you?
Speaker 3:You talk good, but bad as well.
Speaker 5:We know it was bad. At some point within a couple of weeks we knew he was going to live. It's like, okay, so this is reality. And then it's like how are we going to? Okay, is he going to be in bed for the rest of his life? Is he going to be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life? Am I going to be wiping Dan? I've wiped Dan's butt. That's a very humbling experience for him.
Speaker 2:But it's, but it shows where he started and how far back that journey goes. And look at him now Great.
Speaker 3:I like Good so, but I should show he just, he can do more. You don't let him cook.
Speaker 4:But other than cooking he is living independently From the point. When you got into the point where it was like, okay, this is it, this is what's happened to me, and you kind of, obviously you accepted it. What was that like for you? How did you get in that mindset of what are we going to do now? What was that journey like, from the transition from the hospital into the therapies and all the stuff you know? Is this just you, part of your training, part of who you are? Or did something just kind of snap where you decided I'm going to kick ass and I'm going to get better?
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 5:Dan is kind of a unique individual. He can't sit still, he's constantly just moving, doing things. You could see that from the early on whenever he went in the shady side and he was in a bed with a cage around it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, he pulled his.
Speaker 5:You know he wanted to get out of that thing. So bad you could tell, but he could easily fall and hurt himself. He was in the wheelchair. I remember he was like cruising around with his one foot, just pushing around At the get-go, like you guys were saying he was ready to go and you could see it on his face that it wasn't gonna be like this for him forever. I felt that just from looking at him in the way he's been when growing up. It was amazing, but it was very scary at that first few months.
Speaker 2:I can't imagine, I really can't.
Speaker 5:But that's who Dan is. He was an Army Ranger. He jumped out of airplanes. He recovered from helicopters. You know he's always on the go and he's one of those. What do you say? You say a plus personality, right, a personality. That's who he is. Our dad often says if any of his five sons has a stroke like, dan is the perfect one to have his church.
Speaker 3:So oh well, yeah, that's right.
Speaker 4:Dan, what advice would you give to somebody else that's that was struggling to stay positive and stay strong and keep showing up?
Speaker 3:Good, but keep doing me fight.
Speaker 2:Acceptance is a big piece of that. Oh yeah, and then building from from where you are and you know sucks, yep Me hey, but oh well, right when it sucks suck it up, he said suck it up better.
Speaker 2:Well, it already sucks and you don't want to make it suck more. So you make the best of what you got and you build and grow from there, and I think there's so much to be said for that, and it's your personal determination and your mindset that is carrying you through. Can we fast forward to today, because you have come so far? So you've taken us back to when this all happened, how your journey began and where are we today? What does a typical day look like, or a typical week? Duquesne University has been a key component of Dan's journey over the last 20 years.
Speaker 5:He has a couple of therapies he does every week. So he does speech therapy as his main therapies for the last 20-something years, but the last five years that's maybe exclusively. All he does is speech therapy at the University of Duquesne where every semester there's a student that uses him as a subject for the semester to train on and teach him how to work on his speech. And he's laughing because he likes girls. They're all so pleasant and nice and friendly and they treat Dan well. He likes going there, he likes attention.
Speaker 2:So the stroke didn't take away the flirt.
Speaker 3:No, no, I wish, but no, he's a good wingman.
Speaker 5:Oh yeah.
Speaker 2:Oh, I bet.
Speaker 5:We try to support as much as we can, but you know we all have jobs and stuff. So my mom and dad usually take him down to Duquesne, or one of us usually will take him or pick him up, and other than that he gets picked up, in the morning we bring him over to my parents' house and there's a lot of things around the yard.
Speaker 4:They still do the furniture too, right.
Speaker 5:Yeah.
Speaker 4:I've seen gorgeous furniture.
Speaker 3:A lot.
Speaker 5:He's constantly working on something, some type of furniture for somebody. It takes a lot of time and my dad has to be involved with getting different things and we have to be involved, but you give him something and he goes at it. There's been a little bit of a delay on furniture for the last few months just because it takes a lot of time and there's been some other things going on. He's done a lot of furniture, a lot. He has a bad thumb, a bad shoulder, a bad arm, boom meth and he likes to go down to Danny's bar right down the street and he walked, walked, okay, oh yeah, not every night, but he's a regular there and everybody, they look out for him and they all take care of him Fascinating.
Speaker 3:Right here Beer Deep Danny Bar A little bit, but Danny Bar yeah.
Speaker 2:What's your favorite beer?
Speaker 5:Show him on your prolo ad he said yeah.
Speaker 3:What is?
Speaker 2:that you have there. It's an app.
Speaker 3:Yeah, prone.
Speaker 2:What's it called Pro Prolo?
Speaker 4:With a G-U-E at the end oh Prolo, Okay Prolo.
Speaker 5:We can show you how we can put sentences together. Like if he wants to order, he wants to say something, he knows what he wants to say. He just sometimes just can't put the words in. He just sometimes just can't put the words in. He can use this app I want who's like. He just hit the button. It says I want. I want a Miller Lite or a Corona. You got a couple of different floors in there. We go to a bar. I usually already know what to get him.
Speaker 3:He wants to talk to everybody.
Speaker 5:I know, I know, I know and they have no idea he had a stroke. They're trying to figure out. Is this guy messing with us, like what's his deal? And I get sick of saying, oh, he had a stroke 20 years, something years ago. I just let him go.
Speaker 2:sometimes Let it go.
Speaker 5:Until eventually, they'll figure it out. I have to. It's exhausting sometimes, oh well, yeah. And he gets frustrated. Obviously Want to show them. Damien wants to show you a painting here Right, see if I'll be.
Speaker 1:I don't want to.
Speaker 3:Do Something to do, something to do Well, damien Going.
Speaker 5:Damien, jamie, she got you started. There's a girl who has helped him and spends time and paints with him.
Speaker 3:Yes, he's in the painting recently.
Speaker 5:Yeah, here yeah yeah, he's been painting for a few years. The last few months or so he's been really oh.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 5:My favorite one. Some things he needs like this is the advance for what he does.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but that's fabulous.
Speaker 3:I love it.
Speaker 5:Look he has around the house. Right here we're at Dan's house. There's probably like 10, 20, 50, there are like 50 little paintings he's been working on over the last few months. Someday you'll see him on Facebook. We'll advertise him a little bit Good.
Speaker 2:We'll start showing some of that, even the process of it too.
Speaker 5:Yeah, we've been talking about that. But he needs to get a couple more More Canvases, one hovering, two hovering and we love it because, number one, he's doing a good job, he enjoys it and it occupies his time because, like I said, he can't sit still, it's not like, oh Dan, just go sit down for two hours and watch TV. He's up, he's moving, he needs to be doing something. So anytime he wants to pay him like this, go, we're going to dollar tree yeah I think in the last year or two trying to get more social media on facebook.
Speaker 5:Hey, this is dan and this is how he's overcome and have people join the page and kind of see kind of challenges and how he's been overcoming them. Well, just in the last couple months we put a video up of him tying his shoe. Perfect, how do?
Speaker 3:I A little bit hard, one minute, a little bit.
Speaker 5:Well, now he does it real fast. Years ago I was going to try to learn how to tie my shoe one-handed, you know with my left hand. I was like I'm going to try figuring this out. He actually learned. I seen him do it like weeks later after. I was like I should try learning how to do this and he was already doing it. I was like all right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'll definitely link to that video. And he said it was hard at first but he practiced a little bit here, a little bit there, and now Dan says it's easy.
Speaker 3:Or tried A little bit hard.
Speaker 5:but there's not many people like him. We all know somebody like this who just has the grit, who's just constantly just driven and doing things. That's Dan.
Speaker 2:I did want to talk about the family, because I think sometimes we forget that healing it's not a solo journey. It really takes the support and the encouragement and often someone else believing in you, to remind you to believe in yourself, although I know you have that from within. But it comes also from the helpers in your life. Can you talk about that?
Speaker 5:Our parents do a lot. They are both 80. It kind of evolves. She takes care of them during the day. We all do different things at different times. I know, I know You'll be transitioning at some point in the future. You'll be transitioning into kind of a new way of life and who's keeping an eye on him, if you will.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 5:We don't know, we haven't navigated that yet.
Speaker 2:It truly takes the support of the whole family and also the bigger framily, friends and other helpers and while we're on that subject of helpers, friends of Dan Hefley.
Speaker 5:We formed friends of Dan Hefley and we had the golf fundraiser for like 12 years and we had a good run, raised a lot of money. He needed the money, especially in the beginning, because he had over $30,000 of COBRA payments. He was going to hyperbaric oxygen therapy, which was expensive.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's effective therapy.
Speaker 5:Yeah, it's like you have to have some money to be able to do that. It's not like insurance is saying, oh yeah, we're going to give you hyperbaric oxygen therapy, right.
Speaker 3:He's been doing that for years.
Speaker 2:That sucks, but that's the truth.
Speaker 5:Really, yeah, well, so the golf outing stopped, but he doesn't have the money coming in and so he's not doing that. We're not doing maybe extra therapies that we otherwise may be doing, but people can still follow the journey and stuff on the Facebook page, which is Called Friends of Dan Heffley, and anybody can join. It's public, and the last few years I've put more posts in there. Maybe you should start doing more of like here. Here's Dan tying his shoe With his left hand Only. Or here he is, yeah, with the bone in his fire. He's Always doing his stuff.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I want to bring more people to it Because, seeing that video of him, dan, of you tying your shoe With your left hand, With quickly.
Speaker 5:It's amazing. Oh well, more people see that, yeah, we all adapt, and Dan is a good example of adapting to your challenges.
Speaker 2:Yep, is there any advice that you wish that more doctors or therapists would give to stroke survivors?
Speaker 5:Yeah, since you said neurodiversity, I'll mention this. So in the beginning there was this one speech therapist that Dan was working with Like I'm talking within the first year and he said, oh well, dan plateaued, he's getting better and he's gone way past that and I think a lot of that I'm not a scientist but neuroplasticity and all that stuff.
Speaker 2:I mean he's making new connections all the time, right, and I think that that makes the difference, when you realize and understand that that truly is possible. You don't know where the threshold is going to be, but you're open. You keep trying, you get there. You get there little by little.
Speaker 3:Head Stuckers, woman, man, man.
Speaker 5:He used to do all kinds of different therapy. My dad took him to everything. Anything experimental, he would take him to everything. Anybody who wanted to do a study on Dan they did. He was like, yeah, let's do it. And he's been hooked up to different things. He's a machine that he slipped on his hand like a computer, and he would twitch a little bit and it would move for him. And all these different Amazing They've done everything. So if you guys want to have any experiments, the answer is yes, yep.
Speaker 2:Beyond physical recovery, there's the inner journey, the mental shifts that make healing possible. Carol Dweck talks about having a growth mindset, believing you can grow even through struggle. She explains how neuroplasticity works in the brain, allowing us to shift and grow through all sorts of hard things. It's clear that mindset has shown up in your recovery, dan. So A+ it all starts with that mindset shift. For our listeners, a-plus is one of Dan's favorite phrases, along with good and beer. Dan is living proof that neuroplasticity isn't just a theory, it's real. The brain can change, rewire and relearn, and Dan has shown us that, one patient, step at a time.
Speaker 3:Right, a-plus yeah, hey, advice Bye. What keeps you going?
Speaker 5:Dan is super. He's a social butterfly. He has a very strong bond with his Army Ranger. Oh, he's big time. If you meet Dan, one of the first things he's going to show you is his belt buckle that probably says Army Ranger on it, and then his Fernandez died in Afghanistan with his guys he was hilarious with and he has a lot of pride with that.
Speaker 5:So twice a year he goes down. Sometimes twice a year, he goes down, sometimes twice a year down with his ranger buddies for 20 plus years and they all go camping for a weekend. So you care.
Speaker 1:Right, that's a nice approach.
Speaker 3:Yeah, but Nice woman, I uh Sweet woman.
Speaker 5:Oh, uh, what's his name's wife on? Um, well, sweet woman. Oh, what's his name's wife, anne. We're all here, yeah, fernandez. Andy Fernandez died in Afghanistan.
Speaker 3:He was a army ranger. He wasn't servicing.
Speaker 5:He knows his wife. They have a fundraiser for his wife, who she comes and brings the family and they all bond.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's beautiful.
Speaker 3:Bond. I like bond Brothers Brothers.
Speaker 5:Brothers.
Speaker 3:Yeah, oh yeah.
Speaker 4:Brothers, but were there times when you didn't think that you could stay positive?
Speaker 3:No no, no no D, no F, no A, no P, third One no.
Speaker 5:Just frustrated. You might get frustrated and sad for a second Frustrated a lot.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 5:Sad, but you snap it out. Yeah, I know you're asking how's he do it. I don't know. He has gotten sad. I've seen him break down but he overcomes.
Speaker 2:As we start to wrap up, we want to leave space for reflection and encouragement for anyone on their own tough road. If someone's listening right now in their own uphill climb.
Speaker 5:What would you want to say to them? Never give up. You know, like that's, that's the thing. Like Sean said, a plateau. We're told that he's only going to be this much or say this much. He still comes out with things that we're still like, geez, I can't believe he's doing that or saying these words so just never giving up and having the push, and you know. So just never giving up.
Speaker 1:And having the push.
Speaker 2:Looking back, what advice would you give to other families going through a similar crisis? How can they be the kind of helper someone in recovery needs? Is there a message or takeaway you'd like listeners to remember from your story?
Speaker 5:To be patient. People are thinking positive compared to negatively Overcoming challenges, and we all have challenges every day we have to overcome. Dan is a good testament of overcoming challenges. I personally have more of a relationship with God when I can't control this situation. And why is all these bad things happening? I'm just going to give it to God. I think I can't control this, I'm powerless over. To give it to God, I think I can take control of this. Powerless over.
Speaker 2:And that's working through Dan and also others, that because of this journey that he's touching and, dan, I mentioned this at the beginning I hope that you realize that you impact so many people that you may not even be aware of, and that's kind of. Another point of the podcast is just by showing up every day, you might be changing someone's life. You are Well good, yep, and so we thank you, dan, and your family, for showing up for us today, for our listeners. Take a minute to remind yourself when you faced something that felt impossible. But, showing up again and again, you did see a change over time. We all have this type of strength within. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves what's there, so we thank you, dan, for reminding us what is possible.
Speaker 2:What's even more powerful is the ripple effect the way Dan's courage has inspired people he may never meet. You may not even realize how many people you inspire just by showing up and doing what you do every single day. We never really know who's watching or who needs the example we're setting. Dan, your recovery is a living message of resilience and we're very grateful you're sharing it. The world is a better place with people like you in it. Always remember that on the hard days and that goes for our listeners too you never know how you can impact someone.
Speaker 2:So keep showing up. Someone's counting on it. What if someone out there is watching you right now and you don't even know it? What would you want them to learn from how you show up? Dan couldn't wait to feel ready. He took the next step and then the next, and that's where progress happens. That's where healing lives, and it's also where hope grows. Dan Hefley is living proof that the biggest victories often come from the smallest, most persistent steps. Whether you're rebuilding from scratch or just trying to make it through the day, keep going Because, like Dan, you might be someone's reason to believe you might be changing lives just by showing up. Thank you, dan and family, for showing up for us today. We will link how you can follow Dan's continued progress in the show notes.
Speaker 4:If you're listening right now and struggling with a life-altering injury or illness and you're feeling alone, please know we understand that not everyone's situation looks the same. It can feel incredibly lonely, but even when it's hard to see, there are helpers out there and you owe it to yourself to reach out. You don't have to do it alone. We're including links in the show notes to some helpful resources.
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Speaker 2:This podcast is a product of Thriving Yenzers LLC, a home services business that helps you reclaim your time and space. We conquer overwhelm by tackling your to-do list with services like organizational coaching, home decluttering, in-home laundry service and personalized lifestyle assistance. To learn more, visit us at thrivingyenserscom. If you or someone you know is in crisis, please reach out to a trusted professional or crisis hotline in your area. Help is available 24-7 nationwide at the 988-SUICIDE-IN-CRISIS lifeline Dial 988 to connect with the trained crisis counselor for free and confidential support. If you are local to the Pittsburgh area, resolve Crisis Services offer 24-7 crisis intervention and stabilization services to all Allegheny County residents. You can reach them by calling 1-888-796-8226.
Speaker 2:If you are struggling with mental health, addiction, grief or any other serious personal challenges, we encourage you to seek support from a qualified professional. Okay, here comes the legalese. This podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only. The content shared is based on personal experiences and perspectives. Nothing shared on this podcast should be considered professional advice. Thriving Answers LLC, its hosts or any associated parties are not liable for any actions taken or consequences arising from the information provided. The views expressed by the hosts and guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of any organizations or affiliations.
