Episode 12 Freedom on Wheels: Learning to Drive

Freedom. Independence. Possibility.

When I was lying in the ICU after my accident, one statement from my doctor seemed impossible to believe:

"She'll be able to drive."

I couldn't imagine how someone with a C5 spinal cord injury could ever drive again.

In this episode of Resilience with Tasha Schuh, I share the incredible journey of learning to drive with adaptive technology, overcoming fear, and experiencing a level of freedom I wasn't sure I'd ever have again.

From my first terrifying driving lesson...to getting pulled over by a police officer...to eventually driving through Twin Cities traffic and taking road trips, this chapter of my life reminded me that sometimes the things that seem impossible become possible one mile at a time.

In this episode:

• Learning to drive with electronic hand controls and adaptive technology
• The challenges, fears, and funny moments that came with gaining my independence
• Why driving became so much more than simply getting from one place to another
• How this season of life prepared me for an unexpected new direction

Want to see my adaptive driving equipment in action?

Watch my van video on YouTube here:

https://youtu.be/4JGbLap9WGs?si=rKgtqI-zffzTOh43

Next time on Resilience with Tasha Schuh:

Learning to drive gave me independence—but I was still searching for my purpose.

In the next episode, I'll share how changing my college major, discovering a love for communication, experiencing the miracle of singing after being told I might never sing again, and earning a second bachelor's degree all became part of the incredible way God was preparing me for the life He had planned.

Learn more about my resilience coaching and speaking at: https://TashaSchuh.com

I would also love to hear from you. If there are topics you’d like me to cover or guests you’d love to hear from, please reach out and share your ideas with me at: Tasha@TashaSchuh.com

If this episode encouraged you, please subscribe to the podcast and share it with someone who could use hope and resilience today.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:09

Welcome back to Resilience with Tasha Shu. I am your host, Tasha Shu, and I want to thank you so much for taking the time to listen. It truly means so much to me that you're joining me on this journey. And I have so enjoyed recording these episodes because they've caused me to revisit parts of my story that I honestly have not thought about in a very long time. And so it's been so amazing to look back and remember so many moments that helped shape who I am today. And so if you've been enjoying this podcast, I would be so grateful if you'd subscribe, leave a review, or share it with someone that you think could benefit from hearing a story of resilience, hope, and overcoming life's challenges. So today's episode is called Freedom on Wheels, Learning to Drive. And it's gonna go a little deeper than that, but that's the main subject of this podcast episode, because learning to drive wasn't just about just getting behind the wheel of a minivan. It was about reclaiming independence, choosing courage over fear, and believing that my life could continue to move forward, even after my world had really been flipped upside down. Now, this chapter of my story began shortly after I started college and continued throughout the years as I finished college. And it was a season filled with challenges, uncertainty, and countless opportunities to build resilience. And one thing that I've learned about resilience in my journey, especially, is that resilience usually asks us to do something before we feel ready. It stretches us beyond what's comfortable and invites us into places filled with uncertainty. And that's exactly what learning to drive was for me. Now, to be honest, it was terrifying. I knew that if I made a mistake, I could hurt myself or someone else. And that responsibility felt overwhelming at times. But I also knew I couldn't let fear keep me from pursuing the independence that I longed for. Now by this point, my faith had become a huge part of my life, and I knew God had a purpose for me, and I believed that he would be with me as I faced each new challenge. And learning to drive would become one of the greatest gifts of freedom I ever received, even though it was challenging. So today I want to take you back to the beginning of that journey. So this episode is called Freedom on Wheels: Learning to Drive. Now I remember being in the ICU during one of my first care conferences after the accident. And these care conferences they usually had without me, but I had finally begged them to have one care conference with me. So my family was gathered around my hospital bed as my entire team of doctors talked about my care and what they believed my future would look like. I was still on a ventilator and I couldn't speak. So all I could do was listen. And I felt so overwhelmed and almost claustrophobic with all the negative things that they were saying about my future. But then Dr. C said something that completely caught me off guard. He was like, she'll be able to drive. I remember thinking, wait, I thought you said I was gonna be in a wheelchair. People in wheelchairs can't drive. How would that even work? Now, of course, I couldn't ask those questions out loud because I couldn't speak being on the ventilator. But I never ever forgot that moment. And in many ways, I held onto those words long before they ever seemed possible. As soon as I arrived at rehab, I started asking about driving. The therapist would smile and they'd remind me that I had a long way to go first. I needed to regain as much strength as possible because driving with hand controls requires endurance. Steering, accelerating, and braking would all depend on my arms. And at that point, my arms were still incredibly weak, especially after the coma that I was in for those eight days and lost so much muscle and so much strength. I don't know if you remember, but I lost 50 pounds of weight. So I was just skin and bone. So I had to I had a lot of that I needed to gain back. And after I moved home from the hospital, I continued looking into what it would take to drive. During my senior year of high school, we purchased a minivan that could eventually be modified for me to drive. That was really the first step was getting the van. And I remember telling a couple of my friends that I was gonna learn how to drive that minivan. And the look on their faces said it all. They looked at me like I was crazy. They're like, sure, Tasha, we'll believe it when we see it. And honestly, I couldn't explain to them how it was gonna work because I didn't fully understand it myself, but I knew there had to be a way, and I was determined to find out. And as strange as it sounds, seeing that disbelief on their faces only fueled my determination even more. I wanted to prove that I could really do it. Now, one thing I didn't know was that there are specialists who come out and evaluate exactly what type of accommodations you'll need, the driving equipment, um, accessibility that you'll need. And so I had that evaluation, and after that, they discovered that traditional hand controls were not going to work for me. Because those hand controls are mechanically connected to the gas and brake and require more arm strength than I would ever have. Because with those types of hand controls, you are physically pushing the gas and the brake pedals. And my arms have always been the weakest part of my body, even before my accident. So these hand controls would not physically be an option for me. So instead, what would work for me is that I would need electronic hand controls. Now, electronic hand controls use electronic signals instead of being mechanically connected to the gas and brake pedals. So, what that meant is that they required much less physical strength to accelerate and brake, making it possible for me to drive without exhausting my arms so quickly. And they were really the only way driving would ever become a possibility for me. And that was wonderful news until we found out the cost. The electronic hand controls alone were about $20,000. Now, on a side note, today, I just, anybody listening, I want you to know today the hand controls are $100,000. And I'll share more about that in a future episode, but I didn't want to leave that detail out because if someone was listening, they're like, where do you get hand controls for $20,000? That was back then, not today. But the worst part about the hand controls being so expensive was that was just a small part of the vehicle. I mean, there's the cost of the van itself, the wheelchair ramp, the lowered floor, the wheelchair lockdown system, and all of the other modifications that need to make it accessible for me and my disability. Now, thankfully, there was a program, the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation. That is a program designed to help people with disabilities prepare for employment and enter the workforce. Since driving would allow me to get to college, eventually get to work, and become independent, they helped pay for those electronic hand controls. Now, without that assistance, I'm not sure if driving would have ever really become a reality. That was really, really, really helpful. And I was so grateful for the program like that. But having the equipment wasn't enough. I still had to be physically strong enough to use it. So throughout my entire senior year of high school, I spent countless hours on this arm bike where I was just going back and forth on my arm bike, building endurance and strengthening my arms and bar my OT. She would ask me to do this arm bike when I was on the rehab unit. And every time she would bring it up, I would start crying. Like I hated that thing. But now I was serious about driving and I was willing to go the extra mile to get my independence back. Because honestly, I wasn't just exercising to get stronger. I was training for freedom. But this whole process took so much patience. I mean, patience. That was difficult because I wanted my freedom. I wanted my independence. And the biggest delays weren't the hand controls themselves. It was waiting for the DVR payment of the hand controls. Government stuff like that never happens fast. And then also waiting for an opening in the driving program. So there was a long wait to get into the Courage Center driving program. It was in the Twin Cities, which was the only program around me. So it was my only option, and it had quite a wait list. But finally, in October of my freshman year of college, after what felt like forever, the day had finally arrived. I was about to have my very first driving lesson. Oh, I was so excited the day that when that day finally arrived, because I've been waiting for months. I've been training, wondering if this day would ever come. And I was finally having my very first driving lesson. Now there was one thing that I was especially thankful for. I had actually gotten my driver's license about eight months before my accident. So what that meant was I didn't have to go through driver's ed all over again. I already knew the rules of the road, I knew how traffic worked and what it really meant to be a safe driver. So I did not have to do driver's ed. But this. This was completely different. I wasn't learning how to drive a vehicle. I was learning how to drive one in an entirely new way. Up until then, whenever I came home from college, my roommate Brooke would usually drive me home. Or my parents, they would come and pick me up too, kind of switched off trying to make sure that I could get home on the weekends that I was going home. And because I was completely dependent on someone else to get me where I needed to go. And thankfully, most of my friends were really wonderful about driving me places so I could still be involved. And truly, I am very grateful for that. But that said, they definitely gave me a few memorable rides. I had one friend who seemed to drive about 80 miles an hour everywhere I went with her. And I remember hanging on for dear life, being scared out of my mind, being like, I was already in one accident, I do not need to be in another. It was scary riding with her. Then there was another friend who normally drove a manual transmission in her vehicle. And one day while she was driving my van, she accidentally hit the brake, thinking she needed to push the clutch, as she did in her own vehicle. And we came to such a sudden stop that my face slammed into my knees. After that, I remember thinking, I cannot wait until I can drive myself. Now, not because I didn't appreciate my friends, I absolutely did, but because I couldn't wait to have the freedom and independence of getting myself where I needed to go on my own. And now it was time to change that. So the hand controls had been installed in my Dodge Caravan. That was the van that I had purchased to uh start driving in, and I headed to the Courage Center in Golden Valley, Minnesota for my very first driving lesson. So exciting. Now to say I was nervous would be an understatement. It was a, you know, two feelings excitement and scared. And the instruction instructor drove the minivan to an empty church parking lot to start practice. So he had me drive my wheelchair into the driver's position, lock my wheelchair into my easy lock system, and that system is what securely locked my wheelchair. I still use it today. It locks my wheelchair to the floor of the van. So if I were ever in an accident, my wheelchair wouldn't move. It'd be safe. It's locked down. So after that, he gave me a brief explanation of the controls. And then he simply said, go ahead and drive. I remember thinking, that's it? Are you sure? Nothing else? No, I have to say, I was very thankful that that parking lot was empty because I was terrible. I was jerking forward, slamming on the brakes, then jerking forward again. Oh my goodness, the controls were so incredibly sensitive. Now, before I get into more details of the driving, I just want to give you an idea of how these hand controls work. My left hand controls both the gas and brake. So I push forward for brake, pull back for gas using those electronic hand controls. My hand rests in what's called a tri-pin system, which helps it keep it securely in place. So I push forward for the brake, pull back for the gas. My right hand controls the steering wheel. That's also secured in its own tri-pin system. And I'll put a link in the show notes of my driving video. Then you can see how all of this in action and all the other cool things that they have for driving with people with a physical disability. But the steering itself had also been specially modified. My steering system had been sent to a company out on the East Coast where they converted it to what is called zero resistance steering. They removed almost all of the effort needed to turn the wheel so it was easier for me to steer. Now, while that made the steering better for me, it also made it incredibly touchy. The slightest movement would send the van in a different direction. And I felt completely out of control as I continue to jerk around while trying to learn. Now, after we spent a little bit of time driving around the parking lot, which was not very long, maybe 20, 30 minutes at the most, my instructor looked at me and said, okay, we're gonna now head on to the streets. I looked at him and I'm like, I'm not ready. I'm terrified. I mean, but because the lessons were limited, I only had two driving lessons through the courage center, and he knew that we had to keep moving forward. So somehow I survived. But it was bad. I felt so out of control, and it was quite miraculous that I was able to get us back safely to the courage center. Now, when I got back to my parents' house that evening, I had stayed there because the courage center was about an hour from home and I had missed college classes that day, and Winona was another hour and a half direction the opposite way. So I immediately started telling my dad how hard it was. And I was hoping for sympathy. Instead, he looked at me and he said, Let's go. We got right back into the van and headed out for some quiet country roads, and we were out there for a long time. There were so many moments where I wanted to cry. Moments where I was convinced that I was gonna hurt someone. I mean, I'm pretty sure I was already giving my dad whiplash, so he was probably my first victim. But there were so many moments of overwhelm when I wondered if I would ever get the hang of it. But thankfully, my dad he never doubted me. He was just so determined that I was gonna figure it out. He was like, Tasha, try it again. Tasha, try it again. And then we actually went on the highway to get home. And I was driving so slow because I was so afraid that I wouldn't be able to stop, that some elderly women were passing me. And it was so funny. My dad was like, Tasha, you need to speed it up. But I was so afraid, so afraid that I wouldn't be able to stop. And so learning the EMC electronic hand controls was one of the hardest things I had ever done. But little by little, mile by mile, I started getting the hang of it. Now, this wasn't the only time that we went out in practice. We actually went out to country roads quite frequently to help get me more accustomed to everything and get used to it. But as I became more comfortable behind the wheel, the people who believed in me kept encouraging me really just to stretch a little farther. Whether it was my dad, whether it was my friend Brooke, or occasionally my mom, they would ride with me on the drive back to college and have me drive just a little more each time. At first, I drove the first quarter of the trip. Then I drove halfway. Then three quarters of the way. Until one day I drove the entire way back to Winona by myself. I cannot even describe the freedom that that gave me. It was such a celebratory moment to have accomplished this. I mean, for the first time since my accident, I didn't have to depend on someone else's schedule to get where I needed to go. I could decide where I wanted to go and simply go. It was a freedom I had dreamt about since the day in the ICU when Dr. C first said I would someday drive. Now, of course, becoming an independent driver also meant I could finally give my friends rides instead of always being the passenger. And that's where one of my favorite driving memories begins. Now, one evening I decided to drive my roommate Brooke and our two neighbors, Brian and Forrest, to the movie theater. And thankfully, the movie theater was only about a mile away from our apartment. And I don't remember the movie that we saw, but I do remember on the way home, we were all in full conversation about the movie. And Brooke, she had really been one of my biggest encouragers while I was learning to drive. And as we were talking on the way back, she, I was obviously in the driver's spot. She was in the passenger side. She's like, okay, Tasha, two stoplights are coming up. If the first one is green, you'll probably want to slow down because the second one will likely turn yellow. She knew that stopping for me was not always easy. It was probably my biggest struggle. But the problem was, I didn't really hear the second half of what she said as I was listening to Brian Forrest, our neighbors, Brian and Forrest, share about their thoughts on the movie. And as we approached the second stoplight, it turned yellow. And I panicked. I was so afraid I wouldn't be able to stop in time that I just kept going. But by the time I went through the intersection, the light had already turned red and had been red for at least a couple seconds. I had definitely just run a red light. Now a few seconds later, Brooke calmly said, Tasha, you need to pull over. There's a cop behind us. And I started laughing. I was like, very funny, Brooke. I mean, Brooke always loved pulling pranks, so I was convinced that she was just teasing me. And then she looked at me again and she's like, no, Tasha, I'm serious. You need to pull over. And it was here I looked in my rearview mirror. Sure enough, there were the blue and red lights. And then another thought immediately crossed my mind. I have no idea how to pull over. My instructor had never taught me that part during my driving lesson. So, as funny as it is, I jerked the van very strangely over to the side of the road, getting a little too close for comfort and wondering if I was gonna scrape the curb trying to stop the van and nervousness of the cop who was behind us. Now, when I finally was able, when I was finally able to stop, I just happened to be directly in front of our apartment building, where half of our friends just happened to be sitting outside. Yeah, they were gonna get a full view of all the action. Perfect timing. But thankfully, when the officer came up to the van, he immediately noticed my hand controls. And I was just explaining to him, like, I'm so sorry. I'm just starting to learn how to drive. I was in an accident, and I have these hand controls. And thankfully, he showed me a lot of grace. This was my first time getting pulled over, and so he just let me off with just a warning. But I will tell you, it gave Brooke, Brian, Forrest, and just about everyone sitting outside our apartment a story that they never let me forget. Now, I love that story. Now you might be wondering, how did I how did all the other functions of my van work? I mean, how did I use my blinkers or turn on my headlights? Or what about the windshield? Wiper's cruise control or even the horn? Well, the answer was an incredible piece of technology called the Avit Digitone system. And all of the controls I needed while driving were built right into that tri-pan system where my left hand rested to control the gas and brake. So what without ever taking my hand off of the controls, I could simply rotate my hand to the left and the system would begin beeping. There were eight different beeps, and each one had its own tone, almost like the Do Ray Mi scale. Well, it was the Do Ray Mi scale. And so the first beep controlled the left blinker. The second beep was my right blinker. The third beep turned on my windshield wipers. The fourth beep activated the windshield washer fluid. The fifth beep turned on the cruise control. The sixth beep set the cruise control speed. The seventh beep controlled my high beams. And the eighth beep was my horn. It was amazing, but I have to say it was very rare that I use my horn because by the time I got to the eighth beep, I usually it was too late. It was too hard. But it really was amazing technology, and I was learning just how incredible adaptive technology could be. I would have never thought that this would be something that would be out there. But everything I needed was right on my gas and brake system. So I never had to take my hands off the steering wheel, which would have been detrimental because I could have lost control. I mean, this wasn't just for my safety, it was for everyone else's safety on the road as well. So again, if you'd like to see this in action, I'm a visual person. So just make sure, and I'm assuming some of you are, just be sure to check out my driving video that's linked in the show notes. It will explain all of this and make a lot more sense. So the amazing thing was that little by little driving became easier. There's a saying that goes, it's just like riding a bike. And that's exactly what driving became for me. The more I drove, the more confident I became. And the more confident I became, the stronger I became. Before long, I was driving everywhere. Twin Cities traffic no longer intimidated me. I even took road trips to the Chicago area to visit one of my friends. I mean, places that once felt impossible gradually became completely normal. Now, because of the limited strength in my arms, I could usually drive for about three hours before I needed a break. And I should say I would take a break before that, but that was about the longest that I could drive was three hours. And my arms would simply just get tired. And so if I was traveling farther than that, I would stop, take like a couple hour rest, or have someone else drive for a while. And one of the great things about my van was that the driver's seat could be slid back in. It just popped in, pushed back in, put popped in and out, really allowing someone else to just use the regular steering wheel, gas pedal, and brake. And so I would simply ride in the open space where the middle seat in a van in a minivan would normally be. That's where I would sit. And they would I have um straps that lock me in. But honestly, that did not happen very often because I loved driving. I loved the freedom. I loved the independence. And if I'm being honest, I loved the control. Really, for the first time since my accident, I could decide where I wanted to go, when I wanted to leave, and how long I wanted to stay. And I remember the first time I drove somewhere completely by myself. Keep in mind, because of my disability, I had very little time completely alone. It seemed like someone was always with me. Caregivers, family, friends, and driving changed that. I could roll into my van, turn the key, crank up my music as loud as I wanted, and simply enjoy being by myself. Those drives became some of my favorite moments. And so learning to drive really changed my life in ways I could have never imagined. It gave me freedom, confidence, and independence that I had been dreaming about since my accident. But while I was learning to navigate the roads, life outside the driver's seat kept changing too. College continued, my relationships continued to evolve, and thankfully God continued revealing his plan for my life. And life continued to evolve in many unexpected ways. One thing that wasn't unexpected, but was still incredibly difficult, was that my parents' divorce became final. My siblings and I tried so hard to keep our family together, but too much damage had been done. Over the years, we had learned that my dad had not been faithful to my mom during their marriage, and it was heartbreaking to learn the truth. And there was simply just too much hurt for the marriage to survive. And so when my mom filed for divorce, our family changed forever. Not only were we grieving the loss of our parents' marriage, but we were also grieving the loss of so many traditions and memories that had made our family feel like home. And as adults, the three of us, my siblings, my sister Angie, my brother, and I really found ourselves trying to pick up the pieces while adjusting to a life where our parents no longer talked to each other or even celebrated holidays together. Now, thankfully, they remained cordial with one another, but it was still awkward and incredibly sad as we were, you know, we were all adults by this time. So we had all these years of all these traditions, and now they were gone. And around that same time, another unexpected opportunity came into my life. At this point, my friend Ryan, um, who we had been friends with, I've been really good friends with, asked if I would be interested in dating him. Now, I honestly did not see it coming, and I was terrified. I mean, after the rejection I had experienced from my boyfriend following my accident, and after everything I learned about my dad's unfaithfulness, I had some pretty deep scars and I struggled with trust. I had a deep fear of rejection, and honestly, I was so scared. And fear kept telling me not to trust anyone. And I thought learning to drive was scary. Dating was even scarier. I had honestly told myself, I'm not going to date. I had recently become a Christian, as I shared in the last episode, and I was still learning and trying to identify who I was and what God wanted for my life. I mean, I had spent my entire middle school and high school years dating someone. I always had a boyfriend. And my identity was always found in my boyfriend's lives. And it would be, I wouldn't say, who's Tasha? Well, Tasha's dating Adam, the singer of the band. Who's Tasha? Tasha's dating Travis, who's the big wrestling star. I always found my identity in them, and I really needed to find out who Tasha was and find my identity of moving forward and who I was on the inside. So at that point, I truly believed it would be better if I just stayed single. But eventually I agreed to give Ryan a chance and simply see what happened. Now, after a few dates, though, I realized I'm not ready. I told him that I liked him, but I just needed more time. And thankfully, he was incredibly understanding. I mean, he knew everything that I was going through with my parents' divorce and all of the emotions that came with it. And he was just so patient. And I will always appreciate the grace that he showed me during that season of my life. But at the same time, I was wrestling with another question. What am I supposed to do with my life? I mean, by this point, I had switched my major to special education. So I've gone from psychology to special education because I thought working with students with disabilities would be a perfect fit. I mean, I have a disability. Wouldn't that be awesome? But the more classes I took, the more I realized this just wasn't where I belonged. And around that time, I have been doing some research work with a professor called, his name was Dr. Kelly Harold. And he was a professor in the communication studies department. And he also had a disability. He had cerebral palsy, very a minor form of cerebral palsy. And he had asked me to help with one of his research projects. Every once in a while, he would look at me and he'd say, I'm gonna get you to change your major to communication studies. And every time I would laugh and I'd be like, No, I like where I'm at. No. But eventually, though, I found myself questioning what I really wanted to do with my life. And so one day I went into his office and I'd I asked him a question that had really been weighing on me for months. Like, I was like, Dr. Harold, if I were to switch my major to communication studies, what can I do with it? And I'll never forget his response. He looked at me and he was like, Well, Tasha, it's not what you can do with it. What do you want to do? Because he was like, You can do anything you want with that degree. And I remember saying, Well, that's the problem. I don't know what I want to do with my life. And without missing a beat, he looked at me and he said, You should be an inspirational speaker. My first thought was, that is the dumbest thing I have ever heard. I hated speaking in front of people. There was no way I could ever do that. Public speaking terrified me. It brought me back to my high school demonstration speeches where I was just could not wait for them to be over. But in that very same moment, it was like a light bulb went off. Deep down, I knew that's exactly what I was supposed to do. And not long before that conversation, one of my professors in the special education department had invited me to share my story with one of his classes. And I was incredibly nervous. But when I finished speaking, student after student came up and thanked me. They told me how much they needed to hear my story and how much it had encouraged them. And for the first time, I realized something. I had always wanted to help people. And somehow, by simply sharing my story, I had. And after months of praying and asking God to reveal his purpose for my life, I finally felt like I had an answer. And so for the first time, I could see a glimpse of the direction that he was leading me. And as I look back on that season of my life, I often think about that day in the ICU when Dr. C looked at my family and me and said, she'll be able to drive. At that moment, I couldn't imagine how that would ever be possible. I couldn't speak. I was lying in a hospital bed. And I truly believed that people in wheelchairs didn't drive. People in wheelchairs couldn't do anything, was what I thought, let alone drive. But somehow he could see a future that I couldn't yet see. And over the next several years, I watched those words slowly become reality. It didn't happen overnight. It took hard work, long hours, patient people who believed in me, and countless moments when I wanted to quit. But little by little, what once seemed impossible became part of my everyday life. And looking back now, I realized that learning to drive wasn't the end of my story. It was the beginning of a brand new chapter. It gave me a glimpse that maybe my future wasn't going to look the way I once had imagined. But that didn't mean it couldn't still be meaningful. And so I still had a lot of questions. I was still trying to figure out what my future would look like. And I certainly had no idea all the ways that God would continue shaping my life in the years ahead. But I was beginning to see that sometimes we don't need all of the answers before we keep moving forward. Sometimes we simply just need enough hope to believe that there's more of the story still waiting to be written. So I want to thank you so much for joining me for this episode of Resilience with Tasha Shu. If you have been enjoying this journey, I would be so grateful if you would subscribe to the podcast and share it with someone who could use a little encouragement, a little encouragement, some hope. Maybe you have a friend that's really struggling, or maybe you have a friend that has a physical disability. Please share this with them. I would love for you to share that and spread the word of this podcast. And if you'd like to see my driving video that I talked about today, don't forget to check out the link in the show notes. So next time I'm going to share what happened after I discovered my purpose. I'll take you through changing my major to communication studies, learning to love public speaking, the miracle of discovering that I could still sing after being being told that I never would, and why I decided to earn a second bachelor's degree as God continued preparing me for the life he had planned all along. I can't wait to share that journey with you. See you next time.