This is a true story as told to me by Steve Collins.
He brought it to life by going from one event to the next. His story consists of the loss of his left leg and learning how to walk again with a prosthetic leg. He has had epilepsy most of his life. The seizures are aura seizures and up to grand mal seizures. He has had brain surgery. Yes, life has been a struggle for him fighting this everyday; not understanding the present and not knowing what the future will bring. He continued to research and sought answers for years to find something that would help him walk again.
Life itself was nothing but problems for him. Just as he would solve one, another would appear; like looking down a busy street with traffic coming and going. It was hard to focus on all the difficulties he was having and it just created more pain. He had to find a way out of this. He was desperate and stressed emotionally and physically. Nothing happened overnight; it was a slow and painful process.
The Martial Arts came next. He didn’t realize it then that it would become such an important part of his life. With epilepsy and an artificial leg, movements were hard to do. It was a challenge to establish himself as a student. He eventually met and learned from a great Master. His name was Master Dennis. This very successful teacher greatly influenced him. Through Master Dennis’ guidance and instruction, Steve gained confidence as he physically and mentally improved.
He learned from so many different styles: Kenpo, Shotokan, Tae Kwon Do and Hapkido. All of these styles, combined together into one, gave him strength, skill, ability, timing, balance and coordination. By having the capability to make a step and a decision automatically, his thoughts and movements became one. Training in the Martial Arts takes determination, hard work and learning how to control the body and mind.
He has learned to cope and deal with problems in his daily life with a more positive attitude. He now understands what really matters. Being handicapped doesn’t bother him anymore. It is a waste of time, unnecessary and meaningless to dwell on it.
During the decades that he has been in the Martial Arts, he has met so many people with disabilities that are such an inspiration to him. They have learned to deal with it and not against it. In order for Steve to succeed, he had to try over and over again using physical exercise, mental discipline and philosophy with a little touch of Zen and common sense.
He has become strong enough to walk again and use the Martial Arts as a last resort in confrontations. As he said, “If I can walk away from a situation, I’ll walk. When I received my Black belt, Master Dennis said, “Steve, now you are ready to start”. Accomplishing the level of a Black belt reflected the training, effort and responsibility doing the best he could do. It was a proud moment for him. The Martial Arts is a never-ending process. The more he learned, the more doors opened.
His childhood dream of being a comic book artist became a reality. He is now a retired Comic Book Inker and is recognized as one of the “Comic Book Superstars”.
Steve’s story is a great inspiration.
Angela Glasby
He brought it to life by going from one event to the next. His story consists of the loss of his left leg and learning how to walk again with a prosthetic leg. He has had epilepsy most of his life. The seizures are aura seizures and up to grand mal seizures. He has had brain surgery. Yes, life has been a struggle for him fighting this everyday; not understanding the present and not knowing what the future will bring. He continued to research and sought answers for years to find something that would help him walk again.
Life itself was nothing but problems for him. Just as he would solve one, another would appear; like looking down a busy street with traffic coming and going. It was hard to focus on all the difficulties he was having and it just created more pain. He had to find a way out of this. He was desperate and stressed emotionally and physically. Nothing happened overnight; it was a slow and painful process.
The Martial Arts came next. He didn’t realize it then that it would become such an important part of his life. With epilepsy and an artificial leg, movements were hard to do. It was a challenge to establish himself as a student. He eventually met and learned from a great Master. His name was Master Dennis. This very successful teacher greatly influenced him. Through Master Dennis’ guidance and instruction, Steve gained confidence as he physically and mentally improved.
He learned from so many different styles: Kenpo, Shotokan, Tae Kwon Do and Hapkido. All of these styles, combined together into one, gave him strength, skill, ability, timing, balance and coordination. By having the capability to make a step and a decision automatically, his thoughts and movements became one. Training in the Martial Arts takes determination, hard work and learning how to control the body and mind.
He has learned to cope and deal with problems in his daily life with a more positive attitude. He now understands what really matters. Being handicapped doesn’t bother him anymore. It is a waste of time, unnecessary and meaningless to dwell on it.
During the decades that he has been in the Martial Arts, he has met so many people with disabilities that are such an inspiration to him. They have learned to deal with it and not against it. In order for Steve to succeed, he had to try over and over again using physical exercise, mental discipline and philosophy with a little touch of Zen and common sense.
He has become strong enough to walk again and use the Martial Arts as a last resort in confrontations. As he said, “If I can walk away from a situation, I’ll walk. When I received my Black belt, Master Dennis said, “Steve, now you are ready to start”. Accomplishing the level of a Black belt reflected the training, effort and responsibility doing the best he could do. It was a proud moment for him. The Martial Arts is a never-ending process. The more he learned, the more doors opened.
His childhood dream of being a comic book artist became a reality. He is now a retired Comic Book Inker and is recognized as one of the “Comic Book Superstars”.
Steve’s story is a great inspiration.
Angela Glasby
