#truecomplexion

"I still have a lot of down days. It's frustrating because I can’t do anything on my own anymore. I have someone who come in seven days a week to take care of me. It takes about three hours just to get ready in the mornings. And about 30 minutes to get me into bed. I’m a lot of work,” Dillion said. He didn’t adjust well when the accident first happened. But as time went by, he became more accepting of the situation. Dillion still suffers physically, but he tries to make the best of it. He added: "It’s still very hard to talk about it, but I’m grateful to be alive. So many other things could have gone wrong. The only way I know how to cope with the situation is to stay distracted. The more I stay distracted, the less I think about it. If I think about how it used to be, life was just too good. I miss little things like being able to get out of bed in the morning and enjoy a nice shower. I really did lose everything. So now I take nothing for granted. I know if I could experience this and go back to my old self, you would never hear a complain out of me. Like, ever.” With the help of his family and friends, Dillion is regaining the confidence to explore the things he used to love. His good friend Mike helped him set up an off-road wheelchair so that he can go on trails and enjoy the beach.

Dillon Connolly was an All-American athlete who had a swimming scholarship from the University of Southern California. He loved being outdoors and was the most active person you would know. A week after he decided to move to Miami to train for the Olympics, he injured himself. This was back in September 2014 and he was only 25 years old. He went swimming with his friends in Newport Beach and as he dove into the waves, his body crashed into the sand. He recalls, "When I hit the bottom, I was stuck face down for a minute or two. At first, my friends thought I was joking because I was such a good swimmer. But when one of my friends rolled me over, they realised something was wrong. I couldn’t feel anything." Dillon was immediately and completely paralysed. He shattered his C5 and C6 vertebrae, and had to go into surgery right away. Because of the injury, he lost half the function of his body and other things like his intercostal muscles. He can't regulate his body temperature, which makes it challenging to adjust to the weather. On New Year’s Eve 2014, Dillion checked into a rehab centre for spinal cord injury.

"I still remember the day I met her. It was in early 2012. I wanted to buy a pair of Beats by Dre headphones from this seller on Mudah.my. I met up with him and he brought his sister along. We started talking and let’s just say the rest was history. We dated for about a year before we got married. The one thing I really love about my wife is how she supports me in everything I do. When I first started running marathons, she was the one who encouraged me. She trained with me and she ran with me. I used to be aquaphobic as well, but she helped me get over that. She found me a good teacher and now I enjoy swimming. When I asked her what made her attracted to me, she said it was how positive I always was. I’m a very confident person and I knew that I would bounce back after the accident. But I wasn’t sure if anybody would want me the way I am. I just tried not to think about it. I kept focusing on developing myself. I spent a lot of time trying to be better in all aspects of my life. I always believed that if we want people to accept us, we must learn to accept ourselves first. And I guess it worked. When I started accepting myself the way I am, everyone started accepting me as well. If you ask me to go back in time and erase what happened, I honestly wouldn’t. I’ve never been happier. I have a good life. I have a beautiful family. I enjoy work. I mean, what else can a man ask for?"

"Besides the amputation, I had two other major injuries from the accident. The bone on my left thigh broke and was sticking out. So the doctors had to push it back in and insert a six-inch plate to hold it together. I also lost half of my right toe. After five surgeries, I was bed ridden for six months. And because I was suffering from internal bleeding, it took me longer to fully recover. That period was really hard for me. I was always an active person and I could never sit still. I love snowboarding, rock climbing, mountain biking, running, boxing, swimming - you name it. But motorcycles were always my number one passion. I remember people at the hospital looking at me funny because I was reading a bike magazine a few days after the amputation. I was so bored during that downtime. The one thing that did excite me was designing a modified gear lever for my bike. It took me a year and a half to finally get back on a bike. It was the best feeling ever! Although, I was quite paranoid during the first ride. I made sure I was wearing full gear including my leather suit. It took time for me to gain my confidence back. But by 2007, I was training to be a professional motorbike racer. Unfortunately, my racing license was rejected due to my disability. It was very frustrating. But I still became the first disable person in Malaysia to ride a motorbike at the Sepang International Circuit. In 2013, I rode my bike to the fabled Thousand Corners and Golden Triangle. It was a 10-day solo trip and the experience was amazing. Some people think that I’m unlucky, but I don’t see my disability as a disadvantage. To be honest, I think the accident has made me a better person. I don’t think that there’s anything that I can’t do. I really want to do a triathlon next. That’s what I’m aiming for. And diving. I would really like to try that too."