Lived Through This

How I Broke My Neck and Became a Quadriplegic

16 years ago, my entire life changed in an instant

Matthew B. Johnson
Human Parts
Published in
12 min readJul 4, 2021

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Photo: Jr Korpa/Unsplash

No, this isn’t the story about the worst thing that’s ever happened to me. Don’t get me wrong, it was a singularly miserable experience filled with pain and tears, frustration and depression. But if you’re looking for “sorrow porn,” look elsewhere.

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Matthew B. Johnson
Human Parts

I’m a Sacramento-based writer, English professor, track coach, C-5 incomplete quadriplegic, diehard 49ers fan, comic book geek, and lover of all things coffee.