*This post is an invitation by mormon.org to learn more about their new Easter initiative, #PrinceofPeace.

Nathan Ogden knows what it feels like to fly. The first time was in 2001 when at 26-years-old, he soared off a ski jump, left ground behind and touched tips of trees. The air was brisk but Nate felt anything but frozen. With a beautiful wife and two young children, life was vibrant and he was invincible. Nate landed on his neck that day, shattering vertebrae and crushing his spinal chord. The life he’d imagined changed in an instant.

At first, Nathan thought he’d knocked the wind out of himself. But when he reached up to adjust his goggles, his arms would not move. Despite having a bed of snow and ice, fire consumed Nate’s body. My legs. Why aren’t they moving? Later that day, with his wife Heather, 2-year-old daughter Seniya, and 11-month-old son Kyler at his bedside, doctors told Nathan he was paralyzed.

{Seniya, now 17 and Kyler, now 16 lifting dad}

Life Rarely Works out How We Plan

Sixteen years later, Nathan stills feels the wind on his face as he’s skiied down a mountain (he’s the epitome of “get back on the horse”). He’s propelled his hand-powered bicycle in a race and even skydived from an airplane. No, a miracle did not happen. Nathan’s legs still don’t work and actually, things got much worse before they got better. You can read about how his neck was broken twice—it is an incredible story of perserverance and hope. But Nathan, although paralyzed from the chest down, is still anything but frozen.

Every single day, each one of us takes for granted the ability to bend over and pick up something we’ve dropped. We begrudge menial tasks like mowing the lawn and vacuuming the floor. We complain when our muscles are sore or the reflection in the mirror doesn’t look more like so-and-so’s.

Life rarely works out how we plan. There are disappointments, heartbreaks, and things that are downright hard. We have children that cause us excruciating worry and health ailments that come up without warning. There are insurmountable bills to pay and suffering in our personal lives that we keep hidden behind closed doors.

If Nathan Ogden can find hope in a life he never pictured, we can too.

Do you believe in inspiration?

In sharing Mormon.org’s beautiful new Easter initiative #PrinceofPeace, I wanted to write about faith, hope, and someone who uses those principles to draw closer to Jesus Christ. I racked my brain for days on who to write about. I racked and racked and even banged my head up against my softly padded headboard (I’m not that hardcore) but nothing came out. Then one night before bed, I prayed that I could know who to write about.

The answer came at 2:00 am in the quiet and still of my bedroom.

The house was silent, my four kids were all miraculously sleeping soundly and my husband for once was not snoring. I have no idea what woke me up. All I know is that a name came to my mind. You need to write about Nathan Ogden. 

What? I asked. I don’t even know him.  I follow Nathan on Facebook and love his posts. They are full of light, hope and genuine human emotions that make me feel. And because I believe in divine, personal inspiration, I shrugged off the voice telling me I was crazy and gave Nate a call.

I told him about my hair-brained idea to place him and his family on a very public stage and surprisingly Nathan said, “Let’s do it!”

The next Sunday, Nathan, Heather, and their four children welcomed me into their home, along with our photographer Cristi and her three energetic boys. As Cristi’s boys rolled on the Ogden family carpet like human lint rollers, we all had a very personal conversation and an experience so sweet, I haven’t been able to shake since.

I think there is a reason we need to know Nathan.

Faith, Hope, and Peace in Paralysis

Faith is the act of believing in something you cannot see. Hope is the feeling that good things will happen.

After the first neck break, and with painful and intense daily physical therapy, Nathan regained the use of his shoulders, arms, most of his hands, and a little movement in his legs. He had a powerful hope that with more work, he could have his old life back.

Then on February 4, 2003, Nathan broke his neck a second time. He’d contracted a severe case of pneumonia and was admitted to the hospital. While receiving x-rays there and still unconscious, Nate fell from the table, this time breaking his cervical vertebrae at the higher C6 level and instantly robbing him of all the movement he’d worked so hard to gain over the past year. The news was devastating.

And yet, to see Nathan today rolling casually around his home, to witness photos of his family adventures, or to spot him cheering from the sidelines of his children’s games, you’ll always see a smile on his face and a light in his eyes. There are able-bodied people less content than Nate. How has he found peace in paralysis? A lot of faith, bottomless hope, and in his own words:

You can’t do hard things alone. Everything we go through in life—someone else has been there. Jesus Christ has overcome it all. We are not alone. He knows our every worry and trial. He is truly our Prince of Peace. It is personal. Peace is actually powerful and strong. Peace through Jesus Christ to me means that everything is okay—not perfect, but it’s okay.”

#PrinceofPeace

God knows each of us. He knows what we struggle with. He loves us so He sent His son Jesus Christ to be our Savior, our #PrinceofPeace. If you are searching for peace in your life, try starting with the one person who offers it willingly.

Although things may not be perfect, you will find beyond a shadow of a doubt, that they will be okay.

You can learn more about the 8 principles of peace, what it means to be a Mormon like Nate and myself, and how you can draw closer to Jesus Christ at mormon.org.

While in the Ogden home, I asked asked each of the children one question, “How does your dad show faith and hope?” As Nathan listened to their answers quietly from his wheelchair, tears ran freely down his face.

“Growing up having a dad who was paralyzed…I grew up lifting my dad.”

“Us kids are used to getting dad into bed every night, lifting him in his truck…things that are simple for others. In all these years, I have never seen my dad be angry at his paralysis. He has never been angry at God or at his situation.”

“Whenever I’m ready to give up, dad’s there telling me to never give up.”

Living Unfrozen

Ever pressing forward, Nathan is now a motivational speaker. If you’d like to learn more about the Ogden family and their incredible stories, follow them on Facebook, check out Nathan’s website, or read the book Unfrozen (You can find it on Amazon or get a signed copy here). You’ll come away a more inspired person for it.

Nowadays, the Ogdens are busy planning their new epic adventure, a 1,000-mile family relay bike ride they’re calling: Coos Bay to L.A.

“Oh, are you guys avid bike riders?” I ask. They all bust up laughing. “No!”

It all goes with their family mantra of living unfrozen. “People tell you you can’t do something. Why not? We say, let’s do it!” says mom Heather.

For Nathan, living unfrozen has meant repelling from sheer mountain cliffs, swimming in triathlons, river rafting, and pushing himself to limits most of us are too afraid to try. Asked if all of these adventures are hard, Nathan replies,

“Yes, very hard. But everyone helps. They lift me up. 

How do I accomplish these things? Family, friends, and the peace and strength the Savior brings. Whatever He went through was more difficult than it is for me. I can’t do it alone. No one can do it by themselves.”

Today Nathan Ogden still knows what it feels like to fly, only this time, his wings are the people closest to him. When the next hard thing comes along, Nathan is ready.

“Bring it on,” he says.  “I can handle it.“

***

Written by Nicolette McKinlay

Photos by Cristi Dame

Mormon.org sponsored this post.