Vince Lombardi Junior’s words -‘ The difference between a successful person and others is not the lack of strength; not a lack of knowledge but a lack in the will,’ fit to the T, the journey of Greg Abbott, the Governor of Texas.
Known to many as the longest-serving Attorney General in the history of the state of Texas; Greg Abbott’s journey is one of unwavering perseverance through seemingly impossible curve balls that life threw at him.
Greg Abbott – An Introduction
Gregory Wayne Abbott (born November 13, 1957) is an American politician, attorney, and former jurist who has served as the 48th governor of Texas from 2015 to 2020.
He also has served as 50th Attorney general of The State Of Texas for the longest term in the history of Texas; from 2002 to 2015.
From a Vanderbilt Law University graduate to a Texas Supreme court; to Attorney General, and ultimately to the Governor of The State Of Texas, his journey has been a tough yet illustrious one.
He has been in a wheelchair for about 38 years since an accident in 1984, but he has been persevering and mounting new highs since then. His life partner, Cecilia Abbott, has been his pillar of support since 1981.
Greg And Wheelchair – A Tragic Accident
It is only natural for anybody to wonder why he has been in a wheelchair for about 4 decades. Greg Abbott has never shied in telling the tragic tale that left him paralyzed, waist down permanently; and taking support of a wheelchair.
His official website gives an accurate account of his accident.
In the summer of 1984, as a recent graduate of law school, he went on a jog near West Houston like he had done frequently before.
Not aware that this was just the last jog of his life, he went on jogging when suddenly a crash reached his ears; and a split second later, an excruciating pain blinded him. An Oak Tree of large proportion has cracked and fallen on the young Greg Abbott; causing serious and nearly fatal damage to his body.
With every breath in a fight against death, he was taken to the hospital in a critical condition.
The medical examination revealed the grim severity of his injuries. Many Vertebrae of his Spine had been crushed, splintering into his spinal cord and serious damage to his back muscles and vital organs.
The doctors had a hard time saving his life. They inserted steel rods in his Vertebrae column that would remain there for the rest of his life to contain the damage to his backbone.
The damage to his spinal cord ultimately damaged his neuro system to the extent that he was completely paralyzed from the waist down.
His injuries were so severe that it took him a year in rehabilitation to get back to normalcy; now including a wheelchair.
A Study In Perseverance
An accident that might have broken the will of the mightiest of them all, it only, in Greg Abbott’s words, taught him a lesson in perseverance.
He has managed to survive the accident and thrive inspite of it. His illustrious career is a self-proclaiming proof of that.
He literally and figuratively has a spine of steel. His journey is an inspiration to all those who have faced any seemingly insurmountable obstacle in their life’s journey.
He proves that-‘ A Man is not finished when he is defeated, he is finished when he quits.’
