You Must Walk Towards Them: My Journey Back to Life

There are moments in life when everything you know disappears in a blink—when the world goes silent, and you're left wondering if this is where it all ends.

For me, that moment came with a stroke.

It didn’t knock gently. It tore through my life, stealing my words, slowing my body, and stripping away the identity I had built for years.

I was a man who once spoke effortlessly, who moved through life with purpose and speed.

Suddenly, I couldn’t even hold a sentence together.

I was scared. Angry. Lost.

I felt like I was standing in the rubble of a life I no longer recognized.

And for a long while, I waited—hoping the life I once had would come back to me.

But it didn’t.

And that’s when I learned something powerful:

Beautiful days do not come to you. You must walk towards them.

A New Beginning in the Silence

In the quiet, after the tears, I heard a whisper.

Not from the world.

Not from doctors.

But from deep inside—a fragile voice saying, “Write.”

Not because I was ready.

Not because I had perfect words.

But because I had something real—something true—to say.

That was the first time I truly walked toward something since the stroke.

Not physically. But emotionally. Spiritually.

I picked up a pen and began to tell my story—not to impress, but to heal.

And slowly, light started to return.

From Rock Bottom to Rising

No, the journey wasn’t graceful.

It was messy. Exhausting. Some days, I wanted to give up.

But each time I chose to try again—each page I wrote, each step I took—I was claiming back a part of myself.

I wasn’t waiting for life to be kind to me again.

I was walking—limping, crawling if I had to—toward something better.

Toward hope.

Toward meaning.

Toward me.

Today, I’ve written five books.

Spoken to survivors around the world.

Poured my pain and power into a poetry memoir, Thunderstroke, which is now being translated into Chinese.

Sometimes I sit back in disbelief—me, the man who once couldn’t speak, now has his words echoing in another language.

This is not luck.

This is walking toward the life I still believed existed, even when everything told me otherwise.

The Man in the Photo

Look at this photo.

You’ll see me standing among flowers, smiling.

But what you don’t see is the journey it took to get there.

You don’t see the nights I cried alone.

The days I couldn’t say “I’m hurting.”

The frustration of knowing exactly what I wanted to say—and having my mouth betray me.

But I kept going.

Because I knew: If I wanted to see light again, I had to move toward it.

Even if I was scared.

Even if I was unsure.

Even if it hurt.

If You’re Still in the Dark...

Maybe you’re reading this and you feel stuck.

Maybe you’re grieving the person you used to be.

Maybe you think your best days are over.

Please don’t believe that lie.

The most beautiful days of your life are still ahead.

But they will not knock on your door.

You must walk towards them—inch by inch, heartbeat by heartbeat.

And when you do?

You’ll begin to feel something again.

Hope.

Pride.

Joy.

Not because life is perfect. But because you chose to rise.

A Promise to You

Wherever you are, however broken you feel—know this:

You are not done.

You are becoming.

The road may feel long, but the destination is worth every step.

And someday, you’ll look back and realize that the pain didn’t break you—it prepared you.

You are walking toward something breathtaking.

Don’t stop now.

Because beautiful days do not come to you.

You must walk towards them.

And I promise you—they are waiting.