Through wheels and determination
Sanchez shares powerful message at PC on overcoming adversity
“Know no limits” is a phrase Oz Sanchez, a veteran and three-time Paralympic medalist likes to go by.
“We become, what we think,” said Sanchez Wednesday evening as he gave an inspirational message at the Porterville College theater as part a week full of activities to honor veterans.
Sanchez comes from an immigrant family. Both of his parents were born in Durango, Mexico and later moved to Ensenada, Baja California and eventually to East Los Angeles.
“For my parents and I, getting an education wasn’t as important as managing the mules. It was more of a cohesive effort with family on the farm,” said Sanchez.
After barely graduating high school, Sanchez served in the U.S. Marine Corps for nearly six years. After his two deployments to the Middle East, Sanchez decided to transfer to the U.S. Navy.
In between the time of his transfer Sanchez never imagined he would be a victim of a hit-andrun accident, leaving him nearly completely paralyzed in his lower extremities.
“I had about six weeks of down time and I was driving my motorcycle about half a mile from my house. A car flew by a stop sign, didn’t see me going up the hill, hit me and took me off my bike. I hit a pile of rocks,” Sanchez said, adding the accident left him in a very bad circumstance. “I was
scheduled to get married eight days later… these things do not discriminate, regardless of who you are.”
Sanchez then elaborated on the impact the adversity had on his life.
“I was my own worst enemy, and my own worst thoughts created
a lot of unnecessary suffering,” said Sanchez. “What I’m here to share is that journey of how I went from having a sense of identity to my identity being taken away by an accident, and basically learning to recreate and re-establish a new identity.”
After Sanchez’s life changing experience he spent part of the next five years in a state of
deep depression.
“Many of us try to repeatedly change life circumstances because we do not like the experiences we are having. You can change your hair, your clothing, style, the kind of car you drive, the kind of car you drive. Some of us can even change our spouse, but you’ll find that the same experience continues to perpetuate
itself over and over again regardless of what we attempt to do, because everything outwardly changed, but nothing from the inside changed,” explained Sanchez. “Unless a mind shift takes place, you’ll find that everything will keep on repeating itself. So at the end of the day I’m here to share that for those who succeed and those who fail, ultimately it is a choice.”
Eventually Sanchez said he had to pull his own weight to get back to the standard of life style he had set for himself. He enrolled in San Diego State University
and earned a Bachelor’s degree in business management and a minor in communications.
“The disparity comes down to our mind and how we frame our experiences,” said Sanchez, surprising the audience by standing up from his wheelchair. “The doctors were wrong. I’m not the best walker, but I do have the ability to stand and walk.”
Sanchez is able to use his quads and a little bit of his hamstrings from the waist below. He has robotic shells that work like prosthetic legs, which enable him walk on his knees.
“Because I was convinced and was told by doctors that I have full paralysis, I had no idea I could use my legs,” said Sanchez. “Once I knew I could get back on my feet I stopped focusing on worrying about what I had lost. I started focusing on everything that I did have — which was actually the ability to walk — I got back on my feet, both physically and mentally.”
After taking his life back and redefining himself, Sanchez joined the paralympics, where the world’s elite disabled athletes participate in athletic competition.
“I had no idea there was a paralympic level of cycling, but when I joined I found it very therapeutic,” said Sanchez. “I did end up making my way onto a paralympic team. I ride a bike adapted to my knees, and with all [my] upper body I pull through.”
Not only did Sanchez make the cycling team in 2005, he also made the team for the 2008 games in Beijing. In 2012 he competed in France, and most recently in Rio de Janeiro in 2012. Sanchez is a three-time paralympian, winning a combined six medals, including two golds in the past three paralympic games.