One Very Stubborn Guy

"Walking Papers; The Accident that Changed My Life, and the Business that Got Me Back on My Feet" by Franceso Clark Hyperion 220 pages $23.99

Now 31, Clark, age 24, dove into the shallow end of a swimming pool and was instantly paralyzed from the neck down. Doctors told him that he would never breathe on his own again nor get out of his hospital bed. Determined to prove them wrong, Clark drove himself mercilessly to regain at least some of what he'd lost.

He hated being suctioned, so he tried singing (for hours at a time) instead. That worked. He pursued rehab exercises like a demon, inspired by his own want and by the example of his new hero, the late Christopher Reeve.

His biggest problem from the very beginning was the negative attitude of his doctors, nurses and therapists. "Forget about getting better! Just get on with your life" he was told. He found this unacceptable.

Clark's Botanicals came about because of the condition of his skin. It was cracked, dry, and peeling due to his inability to sweat out toxins. He and his doctor father tried all kinds of herbal combinations until they finally found a set that worked successfully.

He went into the business -- making up the vials, marketing, distribution -- and proved successful.

There is a touch too much of "Aw shucks, I'm no hero - not a giant like Christopher Reeve" for my taste, but what he managed to do regarding recovery was awesome enough to make me overlook most of it. Stubborness aka "patience" is a great virtue...