Paraplegic Karen Roy Meets The Man Of Her Dreams

Editor’s Note: You’re not beaten until you give up. Although you may not know where you’re going or what you’ll eventually become, as long as you continue to improve and try more than yesterday, good things start happening. Karen Roy from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, has proved that statement. A medical social worker today at Neuro Medical Center/Rehabilitation Hospital, Karen Roy has taken a journey to arrive at this position that demonstrates the courage of an individual and the never-say-never attitude that results in a successful life. Part 4 of a 5 part series.

Karen Roy with her beautiful family in New Orleans.

One night I was studying at a coffee shop. I noticed a handsome guy sitting a table away from me. I figured he was 23 or 24, and I was 26. He looked over and smiled at me, and then I looked over and smiled at him. We did this for a few minutes, not really focusing on our schoolwork.

Suddenly, he left the coffee shop without saying a word. I thought to myself, “Karen, you dummy, you’ve wasted your whole night flirting when you could’ve been studying.”  Once finals ended, I went out with some of my friends at one of the local LSU bars and saw that guy from the coffee shop on a date with a gorgeous woman. She could walk, didn’t have a baby and has never been married before.

Although I was really upset, I didn’t show any emotion. Much to my surprise, he left his date, came over to me and said, “You’re the girl who made me fail my finals.” He finally asked for my phone number.

Phillip called me a few days later, and we started dating. We eventually found out each other’s ages–he was 21 and I was 26. We never considered that there would be such a large age difference. I told him that I was divorced and had a baby, and that I understood if he didn’t want to date me. Fortunately, my past never seemed to bother him. I told him that I completely understood if he ever wanted to go out with his friends instead of staying at home with Caroline and me.

I finally graduated with my master’s degree in social work, and 2 months later Phillip graduated with an engineering degree. 6 months later, we got married, and Phillip legally adopted Caroline.

We ran into several issues before marrying. Phillip’s father wrote him a long letter that told him not to marry me, and my mom was uncertain because she thought he was below my standards. I figured they didn’t know better, so we got married anyway. A few years later, we had a baby boy named Austin. On Austin’s second birthday, I found out I was pregnant with Joseph. Today, we have three beautiful children.

Karen and Phillip [on their wedding day] now have three beautiful children.

Next: Karen Roy’s Busy Yet Wonderful Life

About the Author: For the last 12 years, John E. Phillips of Vestavia, Alabama, has been a professional blogger for major companies, corporations and tourism associations throughout the nation. During his 24 years as Outdoor Editor for “The Birmingham Post-Herald” newspaper, he published more than 7,000 newspaper columns and sold more than 100,000 of his photos to newspapers, magazines and internet sites. He also hosted a radio show that was syndicated at 27 radio stations; created, wrote and sold a syndicated newspaper column that ran in 38 newspapers for more than a decade; and wrote and sold more than 30 books. Learn more at http://www.nighthawkpublications.com

Matt Blaylock Learns About What Really Matters In Life

Editor’s Note: Twenty-one-year-old Matt Blaylock from Canton, Georgia was a strong, healthy, talented, three sport athlete, with a college scholarship in his pocket until his accident. Part 4 of a 5 part series.

The world we live in isn’t just about us. The decisions we make affect the people we care about and love. I also teach my peers that drinking and partying shouldn’t be the focus of their lives. I’ve had to learn the hard way that there are other things that are more important. I know a lot of young people, including myself, who strive to be great. However, to achieve greatness, we can’t get distracted by making mistakes that may feel like fun at the time but that can cause real damage to our futures. When I went to high school, I started off on the right track.

Matt tells his peers that making wise decisions is important for a successful future.

I worked hard and really developed myself as a student, an athlete and a person. My ego turned me toward things like smoking and drinking. My focus turned from family, church, school and athletics to drinking and partying. That’s when I let these distractions cause me not to put as much attention and time as I needed to on my academics and football. Eventually, as the bad things I was doing became more important to me, they caused me to have this injury.

I truly think a lot of young people need to hear from me about what can happen when you become involved too much in yourself and not enough in what you’re trying to accomplish. If I can tell others about the opportunities I’ve had, the choices I’ve made and what’s happened to me, maybe I can prevent some of them from making those same types of bad choices. Since my accident, I’ve become much closer to my mom and my brothers. I have numbers of speaking engagements and have met many people. More and more opportunities are coming my way. I was somewhat involved in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) before my accident. The FCA was important to me, but it hadn’t been a priority.

However, since my accident, I’ve become more involved and serious about FCA. The FCA has given me the opportunity to speak at church groups, high school assemblies and the University of West Georgia football camp. I’m speaking at many other events too. In the past, I drove a car or walked or ran anywhere I wanted to go, but now I have a power chair and a van that’s wheelchair accessible. Instead of hand controls for the van, I use a sip and puff device, since I can’t use my hands. At first, learning to use my power chair and my van was a problem. But now, I can get around pretty easily.

Matt has learned to get around easily with a power chair and a modified van.

To learn more about Matt Blaylock, contact turcotteba@windstream.net, or call 770-380-1432.

Next: Matt Blaylock’s Life Now

About the Author: For the last 12 years, John E. Phillips of Vestavia, Alabama, has been a professional blogger for major companies, corporations and tourism associations throughout the nation. During his 24 years as Outdoor Editor for “The Birmingham Post-Herald” newspaper, he published more than 7,000 newspaper columns and sold more than 100,000 of his photos to newspapers, magazines and internet sites. He also hosted a radio show that was syndicated at 27 radio stations; created, wrote and sold a syndicated newspaper column that ran in 38 newspapers for more than a decade; and wrote and sold more than 30 books. Learn more at http://www.nighthawkpublications.com