A promising young athlete, paralyzed in a random diving accident, finds freedom by returning to the water.
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A promising young athlete, paralyzed in a random diving accident, finds freedom by returning to the water.
"Imagine you cannot move any muscle in your body below your neck ... now put yourself in water. Are you going to drown, or are you going to survive?" - Julie Oka
Wonderful film. At USC's Women's Conference yesterday, Christina Ripatti-Pearce shared her story. An ex-LAPD officer shot in the line of duty, she is now a T2 paraplegic paralyzed from the chest down. Also young and attractive, she, like Matt Oka, are inspirational examples of courage, perseverance and determination bringing new meaning to the words "Fight On!"
Very inspiring! What a great thing to see Matt graduate. There may be a ministry that he would like to connect with in CA: Joni and Friends, Joni Eareckson Tada is paralyzed from the neck down and she writes, paints and runs this outreach.God's best to you Matt.
This is one of my best friends Matt Oka. He is an inspiration to us all and is a purely amazing individual. Thank you for watching and I only wish you all could know the Matt I know. The one before and after the accident with always a positive outlook on life. Thank you.
Archival footage provided by:
Lu Tran - stillmomentsstudio.com
Special Thanks:
Amy Blumenthal, Torie Daves, Kent Hayworth, Kaia Hedlund, Ben Henry, Kristin Kulhuman, Donald Leach, Evie Lazzarino, The Oka Family, Ron Orr, Anita Sen, Lauren Schlessinger, Swim with Mike
Special Thanks:
The University of Southern California, The USC Marshall School of Business, Arvin Varma