EMPOWERED THROUGH ADAPTATION David Powell

[00:00:00] Now on the AMPD UP211 Podcast, we are thrilled to present Mr. David Powell.

[00:00:06] David Powell's inspirational journey began at birth being born without hands and malformed legs.

[00:00:12] These were challenges that have never slowed him down.

[00:00:15] As a freshman in high school, David lost his mother to a drug overdose, leaving him devastated.

[00:00:22] A few years later he fell into a dark hole of drug addiction and alcoholism until the age of 29.

[00:00:29] Over time and after a move to Salina, Kansas, David once again beat the odds and overcame those struggles.

[00:00:37] He is now fulfilling one of his lifetime dreams of becoming a motivational speaker

[00:00:42] to help people through helpful messages of life and its perspectives.

[00:00:47] Please welcome David Powell.

[00:00:58] David, how are you? Good to see you today, sir.

[00:01:01] I'm good, my man. How are y'all doing?

[00:01:03] Oh, we're doing great. Welcome to the AMPD UP211 Podcast.

[00:01:07] I am super pumped to learn a little bit more about your story.

[00:01:11] I've been doing lots of research on you, which I appreciate that you put out content.

[00:01:17] I've been sort of combing through your video blog, your YouTube channel,

[00:01:23] the many things that have been written about you, news articles that have been done about you.

[00:01:28] You are definitely someone that is not hard to find, which is nice.

[00:01:34] Yeah, it's a very good thing. Someone like yourself, your limb difference is definitely

[00:01:42] extraordinary in the sense that you don't have your hands.

[00:01:48] And describe to me exactly how your legs are malformed. What happened where

[00:02:03] you don't have full use of your legs.

[00:02:08] So I'm glad you've kind of been looking me up a little bit to kind of see a visual of it,

[00:02:11] because it's kind of hard to explain. But on my left side, I have from my hip down to my knee,

[00:02:19] and that's all normal. And then from my knee down, I have just a fibula,

[00:02:24] just one bone of fibula with a little foot clean that has four toes.

[00:02:29] And on the right side, that's where it gets kind of confusing if you don't have a visual.

[00:02:33] But I have from the knee down without the knee attached to my hip.

[00:02:39] Oh, interesting.

[00:02:40] I have a fibula that's not really that goes out and have a little foot on the end of that

[00:02:45] one too with four toes, like a premature foot smaller one. Now the hip,

[00:02:51] I don't know if this is too much information, but it's not like a ball and socket. It's just

[00:02:54] a fibula that goes into it just connects to my pelvis with cartilage and muscle.

[00:02:59] Got it.

[00:02:59] And growing up, I used to eat before the use of prosthetics. I used to use my feet for everything,

[00:03:06] eating, dressing, writing. I could write essays with my feet. I can barely write here now.

[00:03:13] But yeah, I used to do it all with my feet.

[00:03:16] But when I think about you and observe you on video, and I very much appreciate

[00:03:25] you making that accessible to people so we can better understand what your journey is like,

[00:03:33] what this human experience is like for someone like yourself.

[00:03:38] I definitely go to that place of your life is such a huge exercise in adaptation.

[00:03:46] Because what we know as people with fully formed limbs is there's one very

[00:03:54] specific way to do things. And we walk a certain way, we handle things with our hands a certain way.

[00:04:02] People are sort of hardwired into that thought of, well, this is just how you do things.

[00:04:08] And then we meet someone like David and we say, okay, hold on a second.

[00:04:14] How does he drive? How does he prepare a meal? How does he play with his kids?

[00:04:23] All of these things you discuss and you cover in a lot of your content.

[00:04:31] Again, it's this adaptation piece. And I think what was really heartwarming for me was to see

[00:04:39] just how incredibly normal your life is. It looks a little different, right? Because we all

[00:04:45] have that picture of what things are supposed to look like. But you're doing all the same things,

[00:04:52] thriving in that space. I want to talk a little bit about your childhood.

[00:04:59] And I talk about this a lot in the podcast in the way that I am fascinated with people that

[00:05:08] I refer to as lifers, people that have just been this way their whole life.

[00:05:14] And I came to my amputation about seven years ago. So I spent the majority of my life because

[00:05:22] now I'm 56. I spent the majority of my life with both legs and then everything. So I had

[00:05:30] this cataclysmic shift into redefining myself. But I look at someone like you and I say,

[00:05:41] huh, was there a moment that you can recall significantly because you're different,

[00:05:54] but was there a moment in your childhood where that became most apparent? Because when we're

[00:06:01] babies and stuff, I mean, we're very nurtured and we're very cared for. But then suddenly

[00:06:06] you have to interact with the outside world. And I have to assume that those are the moments

[00:06:13] when you sort of process in your young mind, okay, something's very different about myself.

[00:06:19] What did your childhood look like?

[00:06:22] So I'm glad we brought this up because people ask me why I'm so positive and why I'm so

[00:06:27] independent. And it has to do a lot with how my parents raised me.

[00:06:32] I think the reason you mentioned earlier how you're pretty transparent and have all the

[00:06:37] content out there and I want people to see how normal of a life that I have even though I

[00:06:42] have a lot of people around me. I don't have a lot of people around me. I'm not like them.

[00:06:45] My dad, when we went to the park when I was younger or at somebody's house,

[00:06:50] they would look at him and go, oh, what happened to him? He goes, right there. Ask

[00:06:53] him. He's the one that has it. Ask him. And then of course I would explain what happened.

[00:06:58] So I kind of credit him on me being so open about the disability.

[00:07:07] They didn't really give me boundaries. That was another cool thing I know,

[00:07:09] and especially with some presentations that I do, I have parents come up to me that have

[00:07:13] disabled children. Oh, should we let them do this or should we let them do that?

[00:07:16] My mom was letting me jump off the couch. She was letting me do all kinds of stuff.

[00:07:20] And it wasn't to let me be a rambunctious kid. It was just to let me figure out what my

[00:07:25] boundaries were, to help me figure out what I can and can't do. And I think that's super

[00:07:30] important. Being disabled is kind of frustrating when I see other parents coddling their kids

[00:07:37] or sheltering them, should I say. We're people too, man. Just let them live life. I know we got to

[00:07:43] figure out life a little differently than most people, but that's a part of the journey.

[00:07:49] We got to figure out what we're capable of and what we're not capable of. And I think it's

[00:07:52] important to not let anyone tell you what you're capable of and whatnot, what you're

[00:07:56] not capable of because they don't know. Only you know what you can and can't do, and you

[00:08:00] have to figure it out. So allowing you to be just a normal kid, doing all of the things that your

[00:08:11] instincts were telling you as a child because kids are just going to do what they do.

[00:08:17] And sometimes parents have to step away and let them, for lack of a better phrase,

[00:08:27] let them fall down. Let them make mistakes. And I always think of the times when your parents

[00:08:34] would say, don't touch the stove, it's hot. And for some reason, children still need to find

[00:08:42] that out on their own. You can tell them 50 times, don't touch that stove, it's hot.

[00:08:49] And until they touch it and go, you know, ow, then it sort of sinks in. So creating an open space

[00:08:59] for you as a child and giving you the opportunities to discover the world on your

[00:09:05] own and what you could do, what you couldn't do, and then maybe how to adapt to be able to

[00:09:13] do some of those things that other people were doing, but figuring it out in a way

[00:09:19] that provided you that feeling of self-worth, pride, things that, well hey, I can do that.

[00:09:28] You know, I can use my crayons just like every other kid. I might do it a little bit different,

[00:09:35] but I can still do it. I have coloring books too, that sort of thing. And the physicality of it

[00:09:43] in saying, you know, if he wants to jump, you know, body slam off the couch or do something,

[00:09:51] let him figure it out. Yeah, let him figure it out. And I think it's a great point about,

[00:10:00] I think you said your father was like, he's right here. Look, he can answer the question.

[00:10:05] That happens a lot on our idea today too, when someone's with like especially,

[00:10:10] I don't really experience it because I guess my personality doesn't portray

[00:10:15] me having any setbacks. But I used to work for an advocacy business back in the day

[00:10:22] when I went to doctor's appointments with other disabled individuals and the doctor would

[00:10:27] be talking to me. That's your patient. That's common too. I've heard numerous

[00:10:32] stories where the doctor talks to the caregiver versus talking to the individual.

[00:10:38] That's a big issue in the disability realm is people don't make, they don't talk to the person

[00:10:43] they want to talk to the other person that's with them. I don't know.

[00:10:47] So those disability rights sounds like that resonates for you. Being regarded

[00:10:55] in a very sort of validated way that ham... I'm right here. I'm sitting right here.

[00:11:06] I'm a person. I'm not less than. I'm a full functioning person.

[00:11:13] I had read some things about Scottish Rite Hospital and how it influenced your perspective.

[00:11:22] Can you talk a little bit about that for the audience?

[00:11:25] That was... Scottish Rite Hospital is amazing by the way. They're in Dallas, Texas.

[00:11:30] So 1996 I want to say. I was living in New Orleans with my mom

[00:11:38] and she had some issues going on where my dad got custody of me

[00:11:41] when I moved to Dallas. Then I was in a wheelchair at that time.

[00:11:45] And if you know anything about electric wheelchairs they don't fold up and just

[00:11:49] sit in the back seat of the car. They got batteries and it's a big mess if you don't

[00:11:54] have a lift in your vehicle. Major piece of equipment.

[00:12:00] Oh yeah. And it's not cheap either. So my mom had a van with a lift and that was fine but

[00:12:05] without moving to Texas my dad wasn't really... It was kind of a spur of the moment decision

[00:12:11] when that happened so he didn't have a vehicle with a lift in it.

[00:12:15] And not just that but I've always been a very social person and I love going out with friends

[00:12:20] and staying the night. Especially when I was a kid staying the night at friends houses and stuff.

[00:12:24] And not everyone had a wheelchair, you know, capabilities of transporting a wheelchair.

[00:12:30] So my dad knew that and he found that hospital in Dallas. Actually my stepmom found it I think

[00:12:37] and it's all free for people that are under 18.

[00:12:40] And I still get the look when I go to different prosthetics so I don't have like stumps

[00:12:44] at the end of my leg. I have like I told you earlier I have actual feet.

[00:12:48] They tried to amputate those when I was a kid but my dad was like no he doesn't have any

[00:12:52] hands. You're not going to take anything else from them, you know, let him have what he has

[00:12:55] and he'll figure it out. Not to break your momentum. What was the thought behind

[00:13:00] the doctor saying well we should probably take his feet as well? They thought a stump would

[00:13:06] be easier to fit for prosthetics. Ah so they were looking at the long game and saying

[00:13:12] he's probably going to things will go better if we remove his feet and you're

[00:13:20] you said it was your father that said no don't do that. Right he already doesn't have hands

[00:13:24] since he's already, you know, doesn't have a lot as it is so we're gonna whatever he has

[00:13:28] he's gonna keep because he needs that. And did they feel that you could you know use your feet

[00:13:36] for certain functions? Was that the thought? That was the thought of my parents because I

[00:13:40] didn't have hands obviously but the doctors were just so focused on the prosthetic piece of it

[00:13:45] and that wasn't really we tried prosthetics when I was a kid but I was in New Orleans at that

[00:13:51] time too and they didn't have the best technology at that time. So anyway yeah and

[00:13:57] luckily not to shift gears again but luckily we kept them because as I told you I used my feet

[00:14:01] like they were my hands for the first you know 10 years of my life. Yeah but so we get in the

[00:14:08] Scottish Rite and they kind of that was the first person they've had with like feet on the

[00:14:14] end of their limbs so it was kind of it wasn't a hardcore process but I mean it was

[00:14:18] a little bit different than they were used to. So we got fitted and I'm a determined

[00:14:23] person so when I want to do something I'm going to learn pretty quickly on how to do it

[00:14:27] and I was up and walking after they were fitted and done. I was probably walking within the

[00:14:33] first two or three weeks but I had to build up endurance and that was the hard part

[00:14:37] was building up their endurance to walk long distances. So I'd wear my legs and then

[00:14:45] at that when I got my legs this and I talked a lot about this in my presentations too about

[00:14:49] adaptability. I'm used to doing everything with my feet and now when I wear my legs all the time

[00:14:54] my feet are gone like they're covered up so that's why I got these bad boys that I don't

[00:15:00] have these things my nubs man I would be I don't know where I'd be but um I remember

[00:15:06] so when I started going to school I was in fourth grade and uh having my legs on I'm

[00:15:12] right we've got to figure this out you have your legs now we gotta we gotta do something.

[00:15:16] So I remember just sitting in a regular desk I had a lower desk that I pulled up in my

[00:15:19] wheelchair with so I just meant I remember sitting in a regular desk having a pen and

[00:15:23] paper on the table and I was like all right well I gotta figure out how to write

[00:15:27] and I can't remember like what all I tried I remember what worked so I picked up a pen up

[00:15:30] with my my lips put it between you've seen videos I put the pen between my face and

[00:15:36] my nub and right like that I ended up being able to write essays

[00:15:41] with my arms. I learned how to eat with my arms I learned how to you know I drive with

[00:15:45] my arms I throw a football you know with the kids baseball and football with my arms

[00:15:49] I'm right nubbed by the way I'm not amster nubdiest or whatever you want to call it

[00:15:55] I'm not going to try to I'm not going to try to create that word for you

[00:15:59] I tried it's very well right but yeah man I don't know what I'd do without my arms

[00:16:05] so I've gone with using my feet from my hands and I'm glad that was all done at a young age

[00:16:12] that way I didn't go 15 20 years on doing it one way and then have to relearn

[00:16:16] you know I only did it a few years and then just relearned how to do everything my arms

[00:16:21] so but circling back to my parents I'm very fortunate to have the parents that I did that

[00:16:25] didn't feel sorry for me they pushed me yeah to do what I had to do yeah and my step mom

[00:16:32] especially as well she had a lot to do with my upbringing as well my uh especially with

[00:16:37] the endurance game I was telling you about with the legs my dad and my mom I wouldn't say they

[00:16:42] felt sorry for me but they were like oh no he's tired or it hurts him a little bit but my step

[00:16:48] mom was on the other end oh he's got this he's gonna I was I was remember being so mad at her

[00:16:52] a few times too but uh if it wasn't for her man I wouldn't say I wouldn't be walking

[00:16:57] but I wouldn't be walking as fast as I would she she pushed me a lot and I'm very grateful

[00:17:01] for the way she maneuvered things it was a lot of a couple things she pushed me with growing

[00:17:07] up that I didn't understand at the time another example was um doing laundry I can't reach in with

[00:17:13] my hands obviously to do laundry and now I do it with my feet I just jump up on the dryer pull

[00:17:17] stuff without my feet throw in the dryer but back then they didn't want their kids hopping

[00:17:22] on washers and dryers so I had a broomstick yes I don't know it sounds horrible but it made

[00:17:29] me figure out on how to do things but I had a broomstick and just fished everything out

[00:17:34] took me a while at first even like socks were pain to get but uh they're they're pain to get for

[00:17:40] us who have hands let alone let alone without you know right so I get it I just bring that

[00:17:48] you know very fortunate that I had a step mom though that I did because she she she pushed

[00:17:53] me influenced me a lot yeah I mean you you you talk about your parents and it's beautiful

[00:17:58] to hear you speak in a way of your support system and so often people in you know our our community

[00:18:08] you know people with limb differences and amputations and things like that you know

[00:18:13] support systems seem to be the most critical part of how we create forward movement in our

[00:18:21] lives and and feel validated especially when you're disabled because everyone feels sorry for

[00:18:26] you and they want to do everything for you but the support system is who pushes you to figure it

[00:18:30] on your own yeah I I would agree with that sentiment the the whole it's it's not it's not

[00:18:37] about someone feeling sorry for you it's about someone giving you the right forms of support

[00:18:44] that give you the ability to create that progress and help you reach your personal goals

[00:18:52] just as a person whatever that looks like but you've been very transparent about

[00:19:00] you know your parents um your mom uh the loss of your mother and that is uh a part of your

[00:19:10] story that I found really captivating and um I can only assume that this is

[00:19:20] it's never a comfortable topic but it's something that you're willing to explore

[00:19:25] because I look at you and I say okay you know here's this courageous you know kid

[00:19:34] that has been born with this pretty dramatic limb difference and he loses his mom how old were you

[00:19:44] when that happened 14 oh the fresh 14 wow yeah and I tell people too and that's another

[00:19:51] thing I talk a lot about my presentations too um you know I do have limb differences obviously

[00:19:57] and I've also went through an addiction phase in my life but losing my mom was by far the

[00:20:03] hardest thing I've ever had to deal with personally um and this was after your parents were no

[00:20:10] longer together and this is okay he passed away on this on the same boundaries as why I moved

[00:20:17] to Texas she my mom and dad both met in recovery they were both drug addicts and alcoholics

[00:20:22] and in Kansas where I eventually went to get clean up and um my dad ended up kind of catching

[00:20:30] on to staying clean and living a productive life when my mom kind of got stuck in that life

[00:20:35] she'd have spurts here and there which would go to rehab and and that's kind of what happened

[00:20:39] when I moved to Texas is I was supposed to fly home I went I went to Dallas for for

[00:20:43] Marty girl because it's a holiday in New Orleans for a week and uh when I was supposed to go

[00:20:48] home my dad got a call from his attorney actually I still don't know how he got wind of it but my

[00:20:54] mom ended up in rehab she passed out in a restaurant um on pills the night before I was

[00:21:00] supposed to come home and wound up in a detox and treatment center where there was no one to

[00:21:04] pick me up in the airport and this is just one of many examples that my dad had to deal with

[00:21:10] and that was one of the reasons why they divorced and um that was one topic we talked

[00:21:16] about as and I was a huge mom's boy mama's boy that's why he didn't want to take me away from her

[00:21:21] but there was numerous conversations we had growing up where hey you want to come live with

[00:21:24] me or how would you feel about that I kept on turning them down but eventually he had to be an

[00:21:30] adult and not just listen to his child's wants and make the the best decision for him

[00:21:35] for his child so that's when uh he took me to a park one day after my daycare he's like

[00:21:42] hey you're staying with me now that was pretty rough too moving to Texas it was it was an awesome

[00:21:46] thing you know as time went on but it was just a very as a as a nine-year-old that was pretty

[00:21:53] tough moving from your home just all of a sudden and I was the only child too and my

[00:21:58] stepmom had three kids of her own so I had to learn how to share I had to learn how to

[00:22:02] have brothers and sisters and that wasn't um as easy as it sounds but so you moved in

[00:22:10] with your father his your stepmom her children and then your mom was sort of left to her own

[00:22:17] devices so to speak yeah she ended up moving to Texas to be closer to me because it was

[00:22:23] nine or ten hour drive from New Orleans to Dallas and then she moved to Wichita Falls

[00:22:27] where she had a couple friends at um and she kept trying to get sober going to A

[00:22:31] meetings and rehab just never got it but um I would go to see her every other weekend

[00:22:37] and on the holidays and a few months in the summer and um going back to when she actually

[00:22:44] passed she went to go visit a cousin in Arizona who was also a drug addict she started

[00:22:51] when the internet became a big thing um she was dancing for guys on the internet the cousin

[00:22:55] her cousin was and ended up moving in with my mom and then she met this guy online

[00:23:00] the cousin who was rich supposedly Florida Arizona bought her an RV and um Benann was her name

[00:23:09] and she was like hey Susan Susan was my mom and she was like hey we'll we'll we'll fly you down

[00:23:13] here I need you to drive my car back behind this RV and they were going to pay her some

[00:23:18] money for it to help her out because she was struggling and we I wasn't there obviously so I

[00:23:23] don't know exactly what went down they said there was no foul play it was just a an

[00:23:27] overdose on one of her medications she was on um with mixture of alcohol and uh she called me

[00:23:34] from the airport it was the day before she died saying she was leaving and that next day

[00:23:41] oh no hold up it was a week before I was supposed to go see her so she called me

[00:23:46] from the airport that Friday before not so I'm going to go visit her on a Friday but the

[00:23:50] weekend before is when she called and when she went and I don't know what like I said

[00:23:55] what transpired but the Friday came along where I was supposed to go to her house and I still

[00:23:59] haven't heard from her and I just remember some weird feeling in my stomach hold down

[00:24:03] just knew something was off yeah and then when I got off the bus I rode the bus and uh I was

[00:24:09] halfway home and I saw my dad and stepmom pulling up in the car and when they let me

[00:24:14] in my stepmom gotten the back seat with me and that's when I knew something happened

[00:24:17] that's when I lost it just I was like what's wrong what happened and that's when she let me

[00:24:20] know you know she passed away and I can't describe that feeling man that's like a

[00:24:26] I guess some people can relate that's lost uh you know like a wife or a husband or mom or dad but

[00:24:32] it's like an indescribable you feel all kinds of emotions at one time and it's kind of

[00:24:35] suffocating but and that was uh how long ago now you were 14 then so how many years ago was

[00:24:44] that 23 years 23 years and yeah so 20 yeah crazy when you when you visit you know those

[00:24:53] emotions because those things when we lose someone close to us that that that doesn't go

[00:25:01] away I I believe that we learn how to cope we learn how to process some of that information

[00:25:13] whenever there's uh has ever been trauma or some kind of struggle in my life

[00:25:20] I feel like I go through various phases of healing because usually when things first happen

[00:25:29] to me it's it's sort of that numb kind of okay this happened it's it's kind of shocking

[00:25:37] but then I will find years later when I revisit those feelings or what had happened to me

[00:25:47] I tend to go to a pretty emotional place like I've almost given myself permission at that point

[00:25:55] to now really feel all the things that maybe I couldn't when it was happening in real time

[00:26:04] so as you know uh an adult who now has children and a family to raise and all of those things

[00:26:15] you know what about your perspective as a father you know sort of approaches

[00:26:22] those emotions about losing your mom well of course yeah there's there especially when I had

[00:26:30] my first well like I told you I have one biological than the other three there step

[00:26:36] but I remember when I had my first when I had the biological when I had my first kid

[00:26:43] that was something that anybody wants their mom to be a part of

[00:26:46] and that was also something that we kind of talked about as I was growing up she wanted

[00:26:52] grandkids um you knew she was curious too on how I was going to handle things because

[00:26:58] she asked some kind of personal weird questions growing up like how are you going to do this

[00:27:01] with the girl or this that or the other so I know she was curious and I know it made her

[00:27:06] heart melt when she knew I got you know the relationship one I won't say all the relationships

[00:27:11] have been in but when I got my first girlfriend or when I had my um first kiss

[00:27:15] or when I had a kid or even when I graduated high school to shift gears not even you know

[00:27:20] girl or parent-wise but even graduating high school um there's a lot of things I envisioned

[00:27:26] my mom being there for that I don't just watching you uh become a man right and just

[00:27:34] thinking now that I have kids those are things I can't wait for because I'm going to definitely

[00:27:38] be a part of that and it's as you said it's watching your kids grow up and especially I don't

[00:27:45] have any you know luckily my kids don't have any disabilities but the way I see it if you

[00:27:51] have someone who know doesn't have arms or you know is different than other people you're

[00:27:55] going to have questions just like the doctors did when I was born or is he going to have

[00:27:58] a productive life is he going to have a career is he going to have kids and so being able to

[00:28:05] watch that happen would kind of solidify it for me and give me kind of a piece

[00:28:09] and you know I know she's up there watching she watched from afar but it would have made

[00:28:15] me feel it would have made me feel really good for her knowing knowing that she's

[00:28:19] watching me do it just to make her feel better knowing I'm living a life that you

[00:28:23] know she'd want me to live yeah wanting you wanting to share those those accomplishments

[00:28:29] those triumphs those beautiful moments you know with your with your mom and her seeing

[00:28:36] you thriving with your family and all the other endeavors that you're pursuing in public

[00:28:43] speaking and otherwise I would think would be a huge affirmation that she had done a good

[00:28:51] job she laid the foundation for your life and you and you you know you built on that foundation

[00:28:59] that she created for you do you feel like the loss of your mom played a role in you falling

[00:29:08] into addiction yourself 100% yeah and I kind of learned that I didn't really realize it at the

[00:29:14] time but when I went to rehab and and working the 12 steps to doing AA and all that

[00:29:20] that's where I kind of figured out that that's that's where it started or I don't want to

[00:29:25] phrase it it had a lot to do with it should I say because I was already in high school at the

[00:29:29] time I think I was I was a freshman so I probably drank a handful of times on the weekends

[00:29:34] like at friends houses or something like that nothing crazy though but I remember starting

[00:29:39] the sophomore year and I love football and I can't play football obviously so I was with

[00:29:44] the I was a manager for the team so I traveled that was my friends the football

[00:29:47] players are my friends and you know they've already so sophomore year man that's when the

[00:29:53] drinking really started started taking its toll um and my dad you know like I told you growing

[00:30:00] up being our him going through alcoholism and addiction he wanted me to stay away from parties

[00:30:08] and stay away from those types of things but that didn't mean I did I did a lot of lying in

[00:30:14] high school and a lot of you know things I probably shouldn't have but uh it was it was

[00:30:20] mainly just drinking and smoking a little pot in high school and when I moved out my parents

[00:30:25] house because they were pretty strict on me in that category because of their past

[00:30:32] but that's what I wanted to do so I moved out when I was 17

[00:30:36] and that's when the party really began I'm not going to go into details on all the drugs

[00:30:41] that were out there but I tried everything under the sun but uh when I took my first

[00:30:45] loratab that was a game changer and my dad was a I guess the apples don't fall far from the tree

[00:30:52] because my dad was a heroin addict and of course uh hydrocodone is an opiate same thing

[00:30:59] that he did and I fell in love with the man that feeling that I had I don't never forgot

[00:31:03] it was a 7.5 milligram hydrocodone and the warm fuzzies you get from it

[00:31:09] I loved it and uh that's where that's where stuff really took off for the addiction part of it

[00:31:16] I got an apartment with a few friends after high school went to college to a junior college

[00:31:22] and what the plan was not to shift gears a whole lot here but I'm a huge lsu fan

[00:31:28] and so what the goal was I had a little bitty scholarship nothing big like nothing

[00:31:32] to support lsu but it supported a junior college in new orleans for a year or not

[00:31:37] for a year or no actually we thought it was for a year but we found out it was only for a semester

[00:31:42] and I was gonna transfer to lsu eventually is what the goal was

[00:31:46] but when we found out the scholarship didn't cover more than a semester

[00:31:51] my parents couldn't afford the tuition so I moved back to Texas I went to a junior college

[00:31:55] there because out-of-state versus in-state tuition is a big difference and um I moved

[00:32:02] back into with my folks for just a couple weeks got an apartment with a few friends

[00:32:05] I went to high school with and it didn't last in college for long we'll put it that way

[00:32:10] um maybe for the first year I was doing pretty well before I stopped going to class I was

[00:32:16] partying every night um stopped going to class this was before online class was a thing so

[00:32:21] you had to physically go to class yeah I remember those days you had to show up

[00:32:27] yeah and in high school man I never had to study I just I made pretty decent grades but

[00:32:32] I never really studied it was just kind of came natural to me but in college it's not like high

[00:32:36] school you have to study or you're not going to or at least that's how I was I couldn't make

[00:32:40] it without having a having a study yeah and I wasn't used to that routine and I thought

[00:32:46] you know drinking and drugging are more fun than school so ended up ditching school

[00:32:52] um I maintained I worked at a call center that was my can't stand them now because

[00:32:58] I worked for one a couple years ago I'm call center or I'm burnt out of call centers um but

[00:33:05] I maintained paid rent you know did everything I was supposed to do um but eventually you know

[00:33:11] as addiction you know it starts off one way but it gets way worse as time goes on

[00:33:17] and before I knew it a few years later I was in my so my dad was a heroin addict my mom was

[00:33:22] a pill popper but she wasn't really she was more Xanax than anything but she'd go to

[00:33:27] doctors and put on her little charm and she was a good looking lady and she'd get anything

[00:33:31] she wanted from doctors and that's what I ended up doing I told doctors something hurt on me

[00:33:38] remember that ball and socket I told you my right leg that I don't have oh yeah well I don't

[00:33:43] have a ball so did you were you using your disability as as a function of getting

[00:33:49] prescriptions written and things like that this was before tracking you know prescription

[00:33:55] tracking and doctor tracking were a thing so I'd go to multiple doctors a month saying my hip

[00:34:01] is killing me because it doesn't have a ball in a socket so the doctors aren't familiar with

[00:34:05] that because I had to find something that dogs weren't familiar with so they couldn't tell

[00:34:09] me oh that's probably not a big thing but they couldn't tell me it didn't hurt because

[00:34:13] they had no idea and so I would I remember one doctor I would tell him what I wanted

[00:34:17] and he would just write it out and I'd have multiple doctors doing that a month but

[00:34:25] it eventually became not enough as crazy as that sounds yeah and I also had a thing where

[00:34:32] because pills are very pretty expensive on the street so I had a thing in my mind I never

[00:34:37] worked out time and time I tried I was like okay well I'm going to sell half of them

[00:34:40] so I can have a good grip of money to go shopping or do whatever want to have the bills

[00:34:43] paid and have some extra money to do whatever I wanted but nine times out of 10 I'd use

[00:34:48] all those profits that I made to buy them back from the people that I sold them to

[00:34:53] because it ended up running out of the personal supply that I had it was addiction is a nasty

[00:34:58] circle man I mean David when you think about it the loss of your mother set off a chain

[00:35:06] reaction that most people would probably say could have led to the end of you yes you know

[00:35:15] it could have led to not only succumbing to your own addiction and having a similar fate

[00:35:22] to what your mother went through or it could have ended you in the sense of

[00:35:30] I mean you were a drug dealer jail so you could have went you could have went away

[00:35:37] I mean you could have been in all kinds of you know legal and criminal and all kinds of

[00:35:42] trouble and I've I speak to you know many people in this community that fall into the trappings of

[00:35:53] addiction as a result of you know some some some form of pain and trauma that they're going

[00:36:02] through related to their physical condition right right whereas it seems like you know your wick

[00:36:12] got lit by your mom right and from there you know you you ended up with a certain let's call

[00:36:21] it kind of a wildfire where it just you know addiction has has this ability to sort of

[00:36:27] reach all these different parts of your life whether you you want it to or not it it tends to

[00:36:36] sort of grow right and get legs and suddenly it's it's touching your professional life and then

[00:36:43] it's touching your personal life and then it's touching you know your your well-being

[00:36:51] your well-being physically and emotionally and you know and and now you're doing things

[00:36:58] that are completely compromising to you know your well-being as a person where

[00:37:06] where you're taking like major risks just to be able to survive pay the bills

[00:37:12] feed your addictions things like that so when I think about you know your ground zero let's

[00:37:19] call it I mean you were in the basement I mean you were you were I was in a 30 dollar a night

[00:37:27] hotel room yeah those who's around me relying on a dollar cheeseburger meal for or not even

[00:37:33] a meal just a dollar cheeseburger for the day that was my ground zero I was panhandling

[00:37:38] I would I know this is horrible to say but just to throw it I'm pretty I'm really

[00:37:41] transparent as you know which I appreciate well I think that's the right way to do it

[00:37:46] somebody's going to tell somebody about something might as well tell the whole thing

[00:37:49] I had a church shirt a shirt with a cross on it and then I had a pair of khaki shorts that

[00:37:55] had a few holes on them where it looked ruggy ruggedy or whatever the word you want to use

[00:37:59] and I'd put my legs on of course I went out I'd go to quick trips I don't have quick trips

[00:38:04] or your ad but it's a gas station real popular gas station yeah we have a few and I would

[00:38:09] just literally go stand not in front of the door obviously but kind of to the side a little

[00:38:13] bit wouldn't even have a sign or anything but people would just come drop money in my pocket

[00:38:17] and I would make hundreds and hundreds of dollars and all that money went to like I said my hotel

[00:38:23] in the room was only thirty dollars a night I only ate a dollar cheeseburger from somewhere

[00:38:28] a day and all of it went to make sure I had enough you know whatever I was doing whether

[00:38:35] it was heroin and pain pills I'll make sure I have enough for the day of the night a little

[00:38:39] bit for the next morning so I wouldn't wake up sick just to go do the same thing over and

[00:38:42] over again man it was looking back it's insanity man I well it's it's extraordinary to to look at

[00:38:50] you now to you know doing my research for this particular episode of the podcast and realizing

[00:38:58] that here is someone that is is thriving here is someone that is raising a family and living

[00:39:08] his life with such grace and purpose and to me you are in this moment you're very much

[00:39:17] the picture of courage and strength so you bottom out mom's gone things are really messed up

[00:39:28] what would you describe as the turning point I'm going to answer that two ways

[00:39:36] the turning point I thought should have been the turning point is I ended up overdosing in 2014

[00:39:44] and I wasn't breathing for seven minutes I think my heart stopped for a moment

[00:39:51] well then to resuscitate me and bring me back I ended up being in a coma for a week

[00:39:57] for a week and I didn't have brain damage in the fact that I forgot people places or things

[00:40:06] I just forgot how to do every I forgot how to physically do everything I couldn't even work

[00:40:09] my cell phone I didn't know how to unlock it I didn't know how I held my phone I use my nose

[00:40:14] when I'm on the fly I just have my phone on the arm and use my nose I couldn't I couldn't

[00:40:19] get dressed I couldn't go to the bathroom I forgot how to do everything and you would think

[00:40:23] that would be the turning point but it wasn't right when I got at the hospital I was right back

[00:40:27] where I was but the turning point for me I was so after that happened I was still in Kansas

[00:40:36] I ended up coming back home to Dallas thinking I need to be around family and friends for

[00:40:39] support for you know just having the overdose and trying to get back on my feet

[00:40:43] when I just wound right back up on old playgrounds with old friends

[00:40:48] and that lasted for about six months doing the same old stuff but I can't explain it more than

[00:40:55] God talked to me man like that that it was like an epiphany I was on the couch at a friend's

[00:41:00] house I was I was couch surfing I'd woke up I think I was withdrawn a little bit because

[00:41:06] I didn't have anything but I just remember thinking I was 29 at the time I was like man

[00:41:11] you're 29 years old you don't have a family you don't have a career like your time's

[00:41:15] running out man I don't you don't want to be 40 50 years old just figuring out what you want

[00:41:19] to do with your life and I got in touch with some people back in Kansas went back to the

[00:41:25] halfway house that I originally stayed at the time before this time I wanted to do it I wasn't

[00:41:30] in a position where I know we didn't go into the this earlier but I wasn't forced somewhere

[00:41:38] this time it was out of me wanting to do it and that's very important with addicts is

[00:41:42] there's family that try and push them to get clean push them into rehab or push them into

[00:41:47] counseling or whatnot but you gotta want it until that person really wants it

[00:41:53] and I wanted at that time and so I got back to Kansas I remember when I got to Kansas I knew

[00:41:59] a person that had some pills I had one last two raw and then the next day I went into that

[00:42:04] halfway house and never looked back that was November 5th of 2015 so November 4th of 2015 was

[00:42:13] the last time I took any kind of any kind of hard drug your life changed on my birthday

[00:42:20] November 5th oh no that's kind of crazy yeah that is crazy I want to sort of circle back

[00:42:27] to something you just said about you you you can only be the one to make that decision

[00:42:34] so so often people want to believe that you know it's it's like every other cliche you know

[00:42:42] I can lead a horse to water but you can't make them drink stuff like that but it's it

[00:42:47] really is it really is truth because so much of our journey in our community when you're

[00:42:55] looking at amputees people with limb differences to make a change for the better no matter what

[00:43:03] that is whether that's you know pulling yourself out of addiction whether that is

[00:43:11] wearing your prosthesis whether that is going to physical therapy whether that is educating

[00:43:18] empowering doing something to build your story let's call it it's up to you

[00:43:27] it's up to you no nobody can do it for you you can you can surround yourself with a team

[00:43:34] of practitioners and doctors and therapists and you know counselors and all these talented

[00:43:42] really really smart people because I've been there I've been there myself where I'm just like

[00:43:50] wow everyone is here for me right nobody gets anything done out of guilt no one gets

[00:43:59] anything done out of feeling that they owe those people to do well it's a conscious decision

[00:44:07] that we all make and say I'm going to do this all of that other stuff is over and today is my day

[00:44:15] one and now I'm going to change you know for the better and obviously that that served you well

[00:44:24] and propelled you to where you are today I want to use that as a segue to talk about

[00:44:30] your public speaking what a fantastic endeavor to offer yourself in that regard

[00:44:37] to go out into the world churches schools businesses and talk to people share your story

[00:44:46] give them a little piece of your energy right give them a little piece of David and what

[00:44:56] you've been through and offer that hope that whatever the struggle is that the struggle is real

[00:45:04] and things will get better so when do you feel like that became hey I think I want to do that

[00:45:12] I think I want to put myself out there that's been and then I won't say my mom

[00:45:21] I guess she put in my head a little bit but as I got older it's just something I wanted

[00:45:25] to do so growing up I wanted to either be my mom wanted me to be something she wanted me to go

[00:45:31] around you know exposing my story to helping other people and then on the flip side of that

[00:45:39] I wanted to be like I told you before I'm a huge sports fanatic football specifically

[00:45:44] and I wanted to be like ESPN anchor or some kind of sports broadcast or something like that

[00:45:50] and you know with with the drug thing happening and I never went to school

[00:45:55] I really got involved with broadcasting at all but when I got out of rehab the time that I

[00:46:02] because I went to rehab two other times before that but the third time when I actually when

[00:46:06] everything you know panned out when I got clean that's when I was able to put action into

[00:46:12] you know putting the effort into building whatever career that it was that I wanted to do

[00:46:18] and you know you don't have to have a college degree I know it's preferred for some

[00:46:22] people but you don't have to have a college degree to you know speak so in Kansas I she

[00:46:30] wouldn't really so I worked at Walmart to ship gears a tad I was like I told you I was burnt

[00:46:34] out of call center so I worked at Walmart as a door greeter huge networking opportunity man

[00:46:41] because everybody and their mom goes to Walmart and I'm a I talk yeah I'm one of them yes me

[00:46:47] too and so I met this teacher who knew this person named Kevin Honeycutt he's a international

[00:46:55] keynote speaker he doesn't he's not you know disabled or anything to that extent but

[00:47:00] he's a past teacher that he speaks all over the world and she's like let me get you with

[00:47:05] him let me get you meeting with him and see if there's anything he can help you out with

[00:47:10] and so he ended up being in the part of Kansas I was in at one time we went out to lunch

[00:47:14] and that's when he was just telling me how websites important kind of just telling me

[00:47:19] little things here and there on what what what I should do that's when I kind of I guess my

[00:47:28] mind shifted into okay this is what I'm doing so let's figure it out so I started building

[00:47:33] presentations I did a lot of social media that's where I got a lot of business in Kansas

[00:47:40] um was social actually that's where most of my business came from was was social media

[00:47:44] and it just took off I did one did good they left a review I got another one Kansas

[00:47:50] Solana Kansas that took when I first started speaking in 2016 it took off big time and

[00:47:58] then it kind of went stale after about a year and a half it's a small town and um

[00:48:04] we thought maybe moving to a bigger city would help and so we moved to in 2019 2020

[00:48:13] we moved to Greeley Colorado which is about an hour north of Denver and I found out that

[00:48:19] didn't really help much I was kind of in the same predicament and that's when um I

[00:48:24] started making flyers and was just handing them out to churches um so I got a few

[00:48:31] a few from doing that most of them come from social media I've taken a few classes since then

[00:48:35] where I rely on emails and stuff now but um yeah man I love helping people and what better way

[00:48:42] to help people you know I speak to audiences I probably spoke to maybe four or five hundred

[00:48:49] people is my biggest audience and I know I'm not gonna have and this is just one example

[00:48:53] but I'm not going to be able to help every single person in that room not every single

[00:48:57] person that room's going to be interested not every single person that room's going to be

[00:49:00] paying attention that's not really what it's about is it if I can help that one person

[00:49:05] yeah I was gonna say because I feel the same way that's where I was going

[00:49:09] was I always say if we can get one person up up and moving or get one person

[00:49:20] you know in a new fresh kind of positive head space about their situation about their amputation

[00:49:30] or about their limb difference or give them something to feel a sense of validation

[00:49:39] just one person then it's worth it it's completely worth it and I think that is just

[00:49:47] that whole power one kind of attitude where um yeah I certainly have delusions of grandeur about

[00:49:57] reaching you know millions and millions of people and sharing sharing these stories with

[00:50:04] huge you know audiences but at the same time your story is going to resonate with people

[00:50:14] and if it resonates with 100 000 people great if it resonates with 100 people great it to me

[00:50:23] it's all good work and I think the fact that you were so offering of yourself you know boots

[00:50:31] on the ground kind of campaign saying okay I'm just going to pass out flyers

[00:50:37] and I'm gonna see if someone will have me come and speak you know with uh with their congregation

[00:50:47] why don't you tell me about this little person that's next to you at the moment

[00:50:54] oh now we got oh we made him go away he's looking at me oh my

[00:50:58] he's getting so that's Emmett he's five Emmett is five yeah but I'm gonna shift

[00:51:05] gears a little bit too speaking to Emmett um and it's not really just Emmett because so my other

[00:51:10] kid my other other the step kids there it's Aiden Logan and Brooke Aiden and Logan so Aiden

[00:51:18] was like one because they're only pretty much apart they have the same dad and Logan was

[00:51:23] like two months old and before you know you know I met my my wife that was something in

[00:51:31] the back of my mind because sometimes I doubt myself you know I know I talk about all this stuff

[00:51:37] but I'm guilty sometimes too you know for doubting myself or not thinking I can do something

[00:51:43] sure but I remember thinking about when I do have kids kind of how you were saying at

[00:51:47] the very beginning I'm not gonna be able to pick my kids up and throw them in the air

[00:51:50] or play with them how you the typical way my air quotes my typical way how you play with

[00:51:56] the kid or even make a bottle for that matter sure but one thing I found within myself if

[00:52:01] I want something I'm going to figure out a way but I still doubt myself sometimes even to this

[00:52:05] day with new things especially but um wash my feet made a bottle put the baby powder or the

[00:52:12] formula in a bottle put the bottle up on a sink put the water in shook it up fed them

[00:52:19] changing diapers with my feet I can probably do that with my eyes closed now

[00:52:22] um and as so there was a certain way that I picked them up with my kind of similar to how

[00:52:27] I write I'll turn them on the side and kind of pick them up with my arm in my my my side

[00:52:32] of my face and throw them over my shoulder and as they get older they kind of form to me too

[00:52:41] like when I get down that's how they know I'm picking them up when I put my head down

[00:52:44] and they wrap their arms around me around the back of my neck and I just pick them up

[00:52:48] um of course I don't know if you've seen some tic tocs with me and eminent on the bed wrestling

[00:52:52] sure there's just certain things that I doubted myself on that a lot of other people would

[00:52:56] probably doubt me on doubt not just me but other people with limb differences how they're

[00:53:00] going to do this or do that but you just figure it out man just like I can play

[00:53:06] with my kids just like anybody else I can change diapers I can make bottles I can play

[00:53:10] with action figures with them I can do anything any other dad can do but it's just one of

[00:53:14] those things where you have in your mind based on other people how you do something

[00:53:20] but then if you're not like other people you have to you can't just go with what other people

[00:53:25] do you have to really sit back and figure out how you're going to do this because nobody

[00:53:29] it's kind of rare you see someone like me so you can't just go google someone with my exact

[00:53:34] circumstances on how to do this people if they don't know how to do something go to google

[00:53:37] to figure it out easy but I had to I don't know that's one thing I pat myself on the

[00:53:43] back for is I'm pretty adaptable I can figure stuff out absolutely there's Emmett I see him

[00:53:51] say what's up man you don't gotta hide he's been seeing you the whole time I don't know

[00:53:54] why you can't just now that he sees you yeah no the adaptation piece is very compelling

[00:54:04] with your story and the fact that you get have gone so far beyond probably the expectations

[00:54:11] of a lot of people that knew you let's say when even when you were a child to say okay

[00:54:19] it's it's going to be a struggle in school or it's going to be a struggle in relationships

[00:54:25] or it's going to be a struggle with career things like that your your struggles are not

[00:54:34] any different than people that have all their limbs we all have similar struggles

[00:54:42] and that's just part of what makes us human and makes this life experience interesting

[00:54:50] and challenging and I always feel like no matter what's going on as long as I feel engaged

[00:54:59] and there are things that are have me curious or have me thinking or problem solving then my

[00:55:05] life is good and sometimes that can look very dark like hey we're going through a rough period

[00:55:12] right now right and I will look back on some of those darkest moments in my life

[00:55:18] very fondly I'll say yeah that was a tough time and I work through it and it's something

[00:55:26] that I revere as you know a character builder or a big part of who I am today so you know

[00:55:36] your your particular story is definitely proof of that that struggle and coming back from

[00:55:45] something that was very difficult you can now look back fondly and say and again I appreciate

[00:55:52] your transparency when you say like yeah it was it was pretty messed up you know it was

[00:55:58] pretty bad and now that your lenses are clear and you can see it for what it was

[00:56:06] it's not necessarily who you are but it is something that shaped who you are

[00:56:13] because you've gotten beyond that you've conquered that particular mountain

[00:56:18] and now you're on to other things which is very very inspirational I know your story is going to

[00:56:24] uplift a lot of people I'm really excited to bring this to the audience and let them get to

[00:56:31] know you where is the best place to reach out to you specifically when we're talking about

[00:56:39] speaking engagements or just any kind of advocacy work that you might consider

[00:56:46] engaging if someone wants to network with you so I would direct them to my website

[00:56:52] and I say this right now especially I've had the same website for a few years now and it's

[00:56:57] I don't like it anymore it's very redundant to me so it is in the in the process of getting

[00:57:02] redone but um it's davidpowellspeaking.com and at the very bottom you'll see all my

[00:57:09] social media links you'll see a button around the middle of the page that says let's

[00:57:14] chat and then I'll go straight to my email so I just hit the let's chat button

[00:57:20] and that goes straight to my email box and I'm pretty good about getting back with people

[00:57:23] in a timely manner so it's perfect thank you that's perfect I appreciate you making

[00:57:29] yourself available today thank you I will cert oh it's our pleasure and I'll certainly be

[00:57:35] following along and wishing you well please don't be a stranger I want to say uh thank

[00:57:41] you to our very special guest Emmett Emmett uh is uh gonna be a superstar he's a budding

[00:57:49] superstar he's a little shy sometimes but um he's got it down he's he knows how to get in the

[00:57:56] camera frame I will give him that it's kind of funny too his grandma his nickname is Hollywood

[00:58:01] so we'll see how he loves making videos on tick tock and that kind of stuff and being

[00:58:07] yeah well also he loves being in the background we'll make sure to credit Emmett you know when

[00:58:11] we when we write up the narrative on the on the episode that we have a special guest

[00:58:19] isn't it funny like like kids will just sort of linger and then once you notice them

[00:58:24] you're right and then they just want to then they just want to disappear they're like oh I

[00:58:28] got to get out of here crazy crazy shit yeah well thanks again David I wish you well

[00:58:36] that's going to wrap it up for us today my name is Rick Bonkowski this is the amped up to 11

[00:58:40] podcast and I want to wish everyone health and happiness we'll see you next time