0:00:00.841,0:00:03.007 I'm actually going to share[br]something with you 0:00:03.031,0:00:05.928 I haven't talked about[br]probably in more than 10 years. 0:00:05.952,0:00:08.976 So bear with me as I take you[br]through this journey. 0:00:09.622,0:00:11.097 When I was 22 years old, 0:00:11.121,0:00:14.623 I came home from work,[br]put a leash on my dog 0:00:14.647,0:00:16.401 and went for my usual run. 0:00:17.353,0:00:19.040 I had no idea that at that moment, 0:00:19.064,0:00:20.976 my life was going to change forever. 0:00:21.675,0:00:24.405 While I was preparing my dog for the run, 0:00:25.222,0:00:28.372 a man was finishing drinking at a bar, 0:00:28.396,0:00:30.737 picked up his car keys, got into a car 0:00:30.761,0:00:32.293 and headed south, 0:00:32.317,0:00:33.991 or wherever he was. 0:00:35.276,0:00:36.824 I was running across the street, 0:00:36.848,0:00:39.028 and the only thing[br]that I actually remember 0:00:39.052,0:00:41.519 is feeling like a grenade[br]went off in my head. 0:00:42.218,0:00:45.900 And I remember[br]putting my hands on the ground 0:00:45.924,0:00:47.786 and feeling my life's blood 0:00:47.810,0:00:51.238 emptying out of my neck and my mouth. 0:00:53.218,0:00:55.398 What had happened is, he ran a red light 0:00:55.422,0:00:56.999 and hit me and my dog. 0:00:57.563,0:00:59.585 She ended up underneath the car. 0:01:00.897,0:01:02.458 I flew out in front of the car, 0:01:02.482,0:01:04.672 and then he ran over my legs. 0:01:04.696,0:01:06.918 My left leg got caught up[br]in the wheel well -- 0:01:06.942,0:01:08.215 spun it around. 0:01:11.192,0:01:13.255 The bumper of the car hit my throat, 0:01:13.279,0:01:14.779 slicing it open. 0:01:15.724,0:01:17.690 I ended up with blunt chest trauma. 0:01:18.348,0:01:22.341 Your aorta comes up behind your heart,[br]it's your major artery -- 0:01:22.365,0:01:27.202 and it was severed, so my blood[br]was gurgling out of my mouth. 0:01:27.226,0:01:30.821 It foamed, and ... horrible things[br]were happening to me. 0:01:33.201,0:01:34.891 I had no idea what was going on, 0:01:34.915,0:01:36.566 but strangers intervened, 0:01:37.899,0:01:40.088 kept my heart moving, beating. 0:01:40.500,0:01:42.786 I say "moving," because it was quivering, 0:01:42.810,0:01:45.476 and they were trying to put[br]a beat back into it. 0:01:45.810,0:01:48.771 Somebody was smart[br]and put a Bic pen in my neck 0:01:48.795,0:01:52.129 to open up my airway,[br]so I could get some air in there. 0:01:52.153,0:01:53.476 And my lung collapsed, 0:01:53.500,0:01:56.475 so somebody cut me open[br]and put a pen in there as well, 0:01:56.499,0:02:01.773 to stop that catastrophic[br]event from happening. 0:02:03.597,0:02:05.793 Somehow I ended up at the hospital. 0:02:05.817,0:02:07.080 I was wrapped in ice, 0:02:07.104,0:02:10.122 and then eventually put[br]into a drug-induced coma. 0:02:12.170,0:02:14.591 Eighteen months later, I woke up. 0:02:15.610,0:02:17.476 I was blind, I couldn't speak 0:02:17.500,0:02:19.389 and I couldn't walk. 0:02:19.413,0:02:21.245 I was 64 pounds. 0:02:25.285,0:02:29.272 The hospital really has no idea[br]what to do with people like that. 0:02:29.296,0:02:32.066 And in fact, they started[br]to call me a "gomer." 0:02:32.500,0:02:34.956 That's another story[br]we won't even get into. 0:02:36.433,0:02:39.766 I had so many surgeries[br]to put my neck back together, 0:02:39.790,0:02:41.476 to repair my heart a few times. 0:02:41.500,0:02:44.018 Some things worked, some things didn't. 0:02:44.042,0:02:45.933 I had lots of titanium put in me; 0:02:45.957,0:02:47.369 cadaver bones, 0:02:47.393,0:02:50.171 to try to get my feet[br]moving the right way. 0:02:50.670,0:02:52.395 And I ended up with a plastic nose, 0:02:52.419,0:02:54.609 porcelain teeth[br]and all kinds of other things. 0:02:54.633,0:02:57.011 But eventually,[br]I started to look human again. 0:02:59.780,0:03:00.930 But ... 0:03:03.841,0:03:06.085 It's hard sometimes[br]to talk about these things, 0:03:06.109,0:03:07.377 so bear with me. 0:03:08.293,0:03:10.671 I had more than 50 surgeries. 0:03:10.695,0:03:12.296 But who's counting? 0:03:12.320,0:03:14.103 (Laughter) 0:03:14.127,0:03:17.374 So eventually, the hospital decided[br]it was time for me to go. 0:03:17.398,0:03:20.232 They needed to open up[br]space for somebody else 0:03:20.256,0:03:23.476 that they thought could come back 0:03:23.500,0:03:26.476 from whatever they were going through. 0:03:26.500,0:03:29.358 Everybody lost faith in me[br]being able to recover. 0:03:29.898,0:03:32.937 So they basically put a map[br]up on the wall, threw a dart, 0:03:32.961,0:03:35.956 and it landed at a senior home,[br]here in Colorado. 0:03:37.500,0:03:39.739 And I know all of you[br]are scratching your head: 0:03:39.763,0:03:40.990 "A senior citizens' home? 0:03:41.014,0:03:43.144 What in the world[br]are you going to do there?" 0:03:43.168,0:03:45.599 But if you think about[br]all of the skills and talent 0:03:45.623,0:03:48.171 that are in this room right now, 0:03:48.195,0:03:50.234 that's what a senior home has. 0:03:50.258,0:03:52.320 So there were all these skills and talents 0:03:52.344,0:03:53.827 that these seniors had. 0:03:54.300,0:03:57.165 The one advantage[br]they had over most of you 0:03:57.189,0:03:58.340 is wisdom, 0:03:58.364,0:04:00.554 because they had a long life. 0:04:01.110,0:04:03.704 And I needed that wisdom[br]at that moment in my life. 0:04:04.355,0:04:06.151 But imagine what it was like for them 0:04:06.175,0:04:08.072 when I showed up at their doorstep. 0:04:09.017,0:04:12.580 At that point, I had gained[br]four pounds, so I was 68 pounds. 0:04:13.001,0:04:14.244 I was bald. 0:04:14.879,0:04:16.886 I was wearing hospital scrubs. 0:04:16.910,0:04:19.577 And somebody donated tennis shoes for me. 0:04:19.601,0:04:22.770 And I had a white cane in one hand 0:04:22.794,0:04:25.802 and a suitcase full of medical[br]records in another hand. 0:04:26.183,0:04:28.374 So the senior citizens realized 0:04:28.398,0:04:30.690 that they needed to have[br]an emergency meeting. 0:04:30.714,0:04:32.476 (Laughter) 0:04:32.500,0:04:35.476 So they pulled back[br]and they were looking at each other, 0:04:35.500,0:04:39.571 and they were going, "OK,[br]what skills do we have in this room? 0:04:39.595,0:04:41.730 This kid needs a lot of work." 0:04:42.269,0:04:47.078 So they eventually started[br]matching their talents and skills 0:04:47.102,0:04:48.476 to all of my needs. 0:04:49.015,0:04:51.175 But one of the first things[br]they needed to do 0:04:51.199,0:04:53.374 was assess what I needed right away. 0:04:53.398,0:04:56.537 I needed to figure out how to eat[br]like a normal human being, 0:04:56.561,0:04:59.902 since I'd been eating[br]through a tube in my chest 0:04:59.926,0:05:01.476 and through my veins. 0:05:01.500,0:05:04.703 So I had to go[br]through trying to eat again. 0:05:04.727,0:05:06.476 And they went through that process. 0:05:06.909,0:05:08.476 And then they had to figure out: 0:05:08.500,0:05:10.251 "Well, she needs furniture. 0:05:10.275,0:05:13.356 She is sleeping in the corner[br]of this apartment." 0:05:13.380,0:05:15.476 So they went to their storage lockers 0:05:15.500,0:05:17.476 and all gathered their extra furniture -- 0:05:17.500,0:05:19.641 gave me pots and pans, blankets -- 0:05:21.038,0:05:22.214 everything. 0:05:23.317,0:05:26.795 And then the next thing that I needed 0:05:26.819,0:05:27.985 was a makeover. 0:05:28.296,0:05:29.446 (Laughter) 0:05:29.470,0:05:31.025 So out went the green scrubs, 0:05:31.049,0:05:33.915 and in came the polyester[br]and floral prints. 0:05:33.939,0:05:38.230 (Laughter) 0:05:38.254,0:05:40.362 We're not going to talk[br]about the hairstyles 0:05:40.386,0:05:43.464 they tried to force on me[br]once my hair grew back. 0:05:44.003,0:05:45.738 But I did say no to the blue hair. 0:05:45.762,0:05:47.895 (Laughter) 0:05:49.317,0:05:52.993 So eventually, what went on is, 0:05:53.017,0:05:55.897 they decided that, well,[br]I need to learn to speak. 0:05:55.921,0:05:57.725 You can't be an independent person 0:05:57.749,0:06:00.476 if you're not able to speak[br]and you can't see. 0:06:00.500,0:06:03.417 So they figured not being able[br]to see is one thing, 0:06:03.441,0:06:05.019 but they need to get me to talk. 0:06:05.500,0:06:08.476 So while Sally, the office manager, 0:06:08.500,0:06:10.396 was teaching me to speak in the day -- 0:06:10.420,0:06:14.545 it's hard, because when you're a kid,[br]you take things for granted. 0:06:14.569,0:06:16.266 You learn things unconsciously. 0:06:16.290,0:06:19.757 But for me, I was an adult[br]and it was embarrassing, 0:06:19.781,0:06:23.683 and I had to learn how to coordinate[br]my new throat with my tongue 0:06:23.707,0:06:26.476 and my new teeth and my lips, 0:06:26.500,0:06:28.971 and capture the air and get the word out. 0:06:28.995,0:06:30.823 So, I acted like a two-year-old, 0:06:30.847,0:06:32.583 and refused to work. 0:06:34.152,0:06:36.640 But the men had a better idea. 0:06:36.664,0:06:38.986 They were going to make it fun for me. 0:06:39.010,0:06:42.785 So they were teaching me[br]cuss-word Scrabble at night. 0:06:42.809,0:06:45.924 (Laughter) 0:06:47.112,0:06:50.742 And then, secretly,[br]how to swear like a sailor. 0:06:50.766,0:06:51.779 (Laughter) 0:06:51.803,0:06:55.611 I'm going to just leave it[br]to your imagination 0:06:55.635,0:06:58.151 as to what my first words were -- 0:06:58.175,0:06:59.166 (Laughter) 0:06:59.190,0:07:02.167 when Sally finally got[br]my confidence built. 0:07:02.191,0:07:04.380 (Laughter) 0:07:04.404,0:07:06.404 So I moved on from there. 0:07:06.428,0:07:09.604 And a former teacher[br]who happened to have Alzheimer's 0:07:09.628,0:07:11.959 took on the task of teaching me to write. 0:07:13.356,0:07:15.673 The redundancy was actually good for me. 0:07:15.697,0:07:17.476 So, we'll just keep moving on. 0:07:17.500,0:07:21.710 (Laughter) 0:07:24.369,0:07:26.564 One of the pivotal times for me 0:07:26.588,0:07:29.255 was actually learning[br]to cross the street again 0:07:29.279,0:07:30.921 as a blind person. 0:07:32.000,0:07:33.469 So close your eyes. 0:07:34.261,0:07:37.155 Now imagine you have to cross a street. 0:07:37.179,0:07:39.742 You don't know how far that street is, 0:07:40.861,0:07:43.476 and you don't know[br]if you're going straight. 0:07:43.500,0:07:46.059 And you hear cars whizzing back and forth, 0:07:46.908,0:07:48.476 and you had a horrible accident 0:07:48.500,0:07:50.793 that landed you in this situation. 0:07:51.293,0:07:53.847 So there were two obstacles[br]I had to get through. 0:07:54.500,0:07:57.289 One was post-traumatic stress disorder. 0:07:57.932,0:08:01.693 Every time I approached[br]the corner or the curb, 0:08:01.717,0:08:03.004 I would panic. 0:08:03.028,0:08:04.829 And the second one 0:08:04.853,0:08:07.987 was actually trying to figure out[br]how to cross that street. 0:08:08.500,0:08:11.386 So one of the seniors just came up to me, 0:08:11.410,0:08:14.742 and she pushed me[br]up to the corner and said, 0:08:14.766,0:08:17.761 "When you think it's time to go,[br]just stick the cane out there. 0:08:17.785,0:08:19.612 If it's hit, don't cross the street." 0:08:19.636,0:08:25.131 (Laughter) 0:08:25.155,0:08:26.580 Made perfect sense. 0:08:26.604,0:08:27.741 (Laughter) 0:08:27.765,0:08:31.354 But by the third cane[br]that went whizzing across the road -- 0:08:31.378,0:08:32.729 (Laughter) 0:08:32.753,0:08:35.810 they realized that they needed[br]to put their resources together, 0:08:35.834,0:08:37.304 and they raised funds 0:08:37.328,0:08:39.415 so that I could go[br]to the Braille Institute 0:08:39.439,0:08:44.036 and actually gain the skills[br]to be a blind person, 0:08:44.060,0:08:46.058 and also to go get a guide dog, 0:08:46.082,0:08:47.452 who transformed my life. 0:08:47.955,0:08:49.724 And I was able to return to college 0:08:49.748,0:08:53.476 because of the senior citizens[br]who invested in me, 0:08:53.500,0:08:56.633 and also the guide dog[br]and skill set I had gained. 0:08:57.500,0:08:59.770 Ten years later, I gained my sight back. 0:08:59.794,0:09:01.183 Not magically -- 0:09:01.865,0:09:04.834 I opted in for three surgeries, 0:09:04.858,0:09:06.728 and one of them was experimental. 0:09:06.752,0:09:08.476 It was actually robotic surgery 0:09:08.500,0:09:10.998 that removed a hematoma[br]from behind my eye. 0:09:13.096,0:09:17.925 The biggest change for me[br]was that the world moved forward, 0:09:17.949,0:09:21.991 that there were innovations[br]and all kinds of new things -- 0:09:22.015,0:09:23.944 cellphones, laptops, 0:09:23.968,0:09:26.615 all these things[br]that I had never seen before. 0:09:26.639,0:09:28.291 And as a blind person, 0:09:28.315,0:09:30.834 your visual memory fades, 0:09:30.858,0:09:34.876 and is replaced with how you[br]feel about things 0:09:34.900,0:09:36.719 and how things sound 0:09:36.743,0:09:38.100 and how things smell. 0:09:39.500,0:09:41.986 So one day, I was in my room 0:09:42.010,0:09:44.083 and I saw this thing sitting in my room. 0:09:44.107,0:09:45.476 I thought it was a monster, 0:09:45.500,0:09:47.615 so I was walking around it. 0:09:47.639,0:09:49.641 And I go, "I'm just going to touch it." 0:09:49.665,0:09:51.047 And I touched it and I went, 0:09:51.071,0:09:53.189 "Oh my God, it's a laundry basket." 0:09:54.332,0:09:57.214 (Laughter) 0:09:58.217,0:10:02.253 Everything is different[br]when you're a sighted person, 0:10:02.277,0:10:03.939 because you take that for granted. 0:10:03.963,0:10:07.974 But when you're blind,[br]you have the tactile memory for things. 0:10:08.815,0:10:11.364 The biggest change for me[br]was looking down at my hands 0:10:11.388,0:10:14.208 and seeing that I'd lost[br]10 years of my life. 0:10:15.301,0:10:18.360 I thought that time[br]had stood still for some reason 0:10:18.384,0:10:20.218 and moved on for family and friends. 0:10:20.242,0:10:21.726 But when I looked down, 0:10:21.750,0:10:24.320 I realized that time[br]marched on for me, too, 0:10:24.344,0:10:26.068 and that I needed to get caught up. 0:10:26.092,0:10:27.567 So I got going on it. 0:10:29.167,0:10:33.087 We didn't have words like "crowdsourcing"[br]and "radical collaboration" 0:10:33.111,0:10:34.476 when I had my accident. 0:10:34.853,0:10:36.616 But the concept held true -- 0:10:36.640,0:10:39.053 people working with people to rebuild me; 0:10:39.077,0:10:41.886 people working with people[br]to reeducate me. 0:10:41.910,0:10:43.727 I wouldn't be standing here today 0:10:43.751,0:10:47.476 if it wasn't for extreme[br]radical collaboration. 0:10:47.500,0:10:48.794 Thank you so much. 0:10:48.818,0:10:52.301 (Applause)