4 years ago today, my life changed forever at the hands of a complete stranger.. believe it or not its still so hard to understand why or how i keep going, but i tell myself im here for a reason, what happened to me happened for a reason. im not sure of the reason yet, but i promised myself i would keep going until that reason is revealed. i pray everyday for my wellbeing, my safety & my mental. its hard living with this trauma, the unanswered questions, the random replays of what happened, the changes to my body, the mental battles, & everything else, but i keep going because thats what i was left here to do.. i say all this to say, when life threw me the TOUGHEST, MOST UNPREDICTABLE BATTLE I KEPT GOING ! SO NO MATTER WHAT LIFE THROWS AT YOU, YOU TOO CAN KEEP GOING ! im not a victim, im a SURVIVOR ! January 30th couldโve been my death day, but instead i like to call it my GOD DID DAY ๐งก
As many of you may already know six months ago today i was unintentionally shot in my back & instantly lost feeling from the waist down, fortunately God spared my life & thats when i knew i had NO CHOICE BUT TO FIGHT !
I was in the hospital & rehab for 2 months, with a long road to recovery, sleepless nights, staying up as long as i could because i was scared to go to sleep, days or even weeks in the hospital when i couldnโt eat or drink anything because of problems the bullet caused to my intestines, times when i felt like nobody would understand me because they werenโt going through what i was going through, times when i even had to cry myself to sleep because i missed my friends & family, & couldnโt adjust to โmy new lifeโ i had many doubts that i would never be myself again or even be able to live my happy life again, but my family & friends kept me going, i knew i had people counting on me, people i havenโt even met yet depending on me to be their motivation! Physically i may look good, but mentally & emotionally it gets hard, there has been multiple occasions when i felt like i wanted to give up, but i refused to because God or nobody else gave up on me !
Doctors told me I would be paralyzed from the waist down, & if you know my love for game of basketball you know how heart broken i was to hear that, but as you can see God had other plans, Im walking with the assistance of a cane & a brace on my ankle/leg, i still donโt have all my feeling back in some parts of my legs or my feet, but im working through that !! My official diagnosis is Paraparesis, which is partial paralysis in my lower limbs..
All in all I just want everybody to know, no matter what your circumstances are, if you stay positive & pray you WILL OVER COME !
MY INCIDENT ISNโT A FLEX, BUT SURVIVING & OVERCOMING DEFINITELY IS !
Meet @_bignaee , a 24-year-old from Washington, DC, with a L2 incomplete spinal cord injury due to a gunshot in 2021. Doctors told her she would never walk again, but she defied those odds. During her time in rehab, Anesia discovered wheelchair basketball. Prior to her injury, she played stand-up basketball all her life, so the transition was tough.
Despite it all, playing wheelchair basketball helped Anesia redefine herself after feeling like sheโd lost it all. Wheelchair basketball motivated her to return to college as a social work major, competing at the collegiate level, and getting her credentials to work closely in troubled communities to decrease gun violence. This journey also led her to be part of the very first Team USA 3x3 wheelchair basketball team in the World University Games, bringing home bronze. As she further her career, she aims to be part of the 2028 Paralympics.
#WheelchairBasketball #ParalympicAthlete #TeamUSA #DisabilityEmpowerment #GunViolencePrevention #SocialWork #CollegeAthlete #3x3Basketball #WorldUniversityGames #BronzeMedal #2028Paralympics #InspirationalStory #OvercomingAdversity #Resilience #Determination #WashingtonDC #DisabilityAwareness #SportsForAll #EmpowermentThroughSports
๐๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ข๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฌ๐๐จ๐ ๐ก๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐ง ๐ฌ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ซ๐๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐๐ง๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง (๐ ๐๐๐) ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ง๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ฌ (๐๐๐)
The 2025 WUG will be held in Rhine-Ruhr, Germany from July 16โ27
We are so proud of Nae and all she has endured to get to this stage! She truly is incredible and her dedication is admirable!
The games can be viewed on FISU.TV
Let's go Nae๐บ๐ฒ
Iโm still trying to find the wordsโฆ but Iโm incredibly honored to share that Iโve been selected to represent Team USA in wheelchair 3x3 basketball at the 2025 World University Games in Germany ๐บ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ช
This is more than just a team or a tournament, this is history. For the first time ever, an adaptive sport will be included in these Gamesโฆ and I get to be a part of it. From navigating life after my injury to falling in love with this sport, there have been so many moments of doubt, resilience, and growth. And now, this a dream I didnโt even know I was allowed to have.
Thank you to everyone whoโs believed in me, pushed me, and stood by me. Weโre just getting startedโค๏ธ
