BY RAY JEWAN
MY JOURNEY
BY RAY JEWAN
My journey into competitive bodybuilding began as a result of a work accident in the summer of 1987 . I was going into my third year of my bachelor ’ s of physical education degree , and worked the summer as an industrial roofer , to put some money towards the coming school year . As fate would have it , I was paying more attention to my work than to where I was on the roof and walked off the roof backwards , falling 40 feet onto concrete . I ended up severely fracturing my L1 vertebrae while also fracturing and dislocating my left wrist . The vertebral fracture left me without any feeling or movement from my belly button down . During surgery they were pulling small bone fragments from my spinal cord .
After the surgery , the Neurosurgeon and the orthopaedic surgeon were unsure if I ’ d ever walk again . During the two months I spent in the hospital some feeling and some movement began to come back . Whether I was just in denial or just had a strong belief , I at no point believed I wouldn ’ t walk again . Eventually I was able to return to complete my P . E . degree and my education degree . I ’ ve always been involved in athletics and have a very competitive nature . Having to rebuild from ground zero , put me in the gym where I could control my body position and build back some strength . Mentally , working out was a saviour and soon I began to think getting up on that stage could be an outlet for my competitive urge . My first contest was the Muscle Beach Fall classic in 1999 . It was everything and more that I could ’ ve hoped for . I ’ ve competed ever since , keeping my body and my mind in a healthy place .