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Show Dreams Do Come True With Chris Hocker , .,"'7' - . . ' - ... .. ,j After diving in the Grand Cayman Islands, Chris stated, "Getting the knowledge and education that comes with sticking to it has changed my life " J ' Photo courtesy of Chris Hocker by Geri Taylor When Chris Hocker came out of surgery to remove half his brain, the doctors could not give his parents any assurances assur-ances of his quality of life or even if he would live. Time stood still as they waited for any sign of response to know if their son was blind, brain damaged, or able to communicate. communi-cate. Any parent whose child has been hurt or ill can relate to the anxiety Seth and Tami Hocker must have experienced and their grateful relief when Chris awoke and put their worst fears to rest. The 14-year-old was certainly certain-ly not out of the woods and faced years of therapy and rehabilitation rehabilita-tion in addition to catching up on all the schooling missed because of his seizures. Though immediately immedi-ately apparent, he had not lost his mental capabilities. The hemi-spherectomy hemi-spherectomy resulted in partial paralysis on his left side, known as hemiparesis, a condition that limits fine motor control. Chris had to relearn basic functions, including in-cluding how to walk. Now 25, Chris has begun to experience life from the position po-sition of participant instead of observer. In June he was sponsored spon-sored on the trip of a lifetime to the Grand Cayman Islands by Dive Pirates, a non-profit organization that caters mostly to disabled vets. This adaptive diving group outfits people with customized equipment, allowing allow-ing them to experience a sport that would otherwise be prohibitive. prohib-itive. From the moment he decided de-cided to learn to SCUBA dive,. Chris worked hard to see this dream come to fruition. His first hurdle was to learn how to swim; not an easy feat for a hemiplegic, but one he was determined to master. With a dogged and resolute approach, he began the arduous task of learning how to propel his body through the water, using shoulder shoul-der muscles to move his limp arm and a modified hip move ment that eventually became a scissor kick. The unexpected benefit of this workout was regenerated muscle functions the doctors said he would never regain. Chris can now raise his arm shoulder high and lift, instead of drag, his foot to walk - movements move-ments he never imagined could happen. The year and a half it took to learn how to swim, become be-come SCUBA certified and then make numerous practice dives, was a worthwhile and life-changing life-changing accomplishment. After his first dive in the Grand Cayman paradise, Chris remembers feeling that all, his hard work had paid off, and the reward was well worth the sacrifice. sac-rifice. "It's been a great experience experi-ence to set goals and then follow through," Chris said with enthusiasm. en-thusiasm. "Getting the knowledge knowl-edge and education that comes with sticking to it has changed my life." Chris learned much during dur-ing his experience in what he calls "seven days of paradise." While each disabled diver has two buddy divers, it is vital to stay alert and follow the training train-ing regulations in order to avoid complications or disaster. Wanting Want-ing to experience every dive possible pos-sible could easily have ended in a crisis if he had not followed the guidelines learned during the past year. After descending only 10 feet on a morning dive, Chris experienced the pain associated as-sociated with congested sinuses and chose to sit . out instead of risk breaking an ear drum. The thrill of exploring a sunken Russian frigate and seeing see-ing octopus and sea turtles at night, were enough to commit himself to returning next year, paying his own way. The trip to the Grand Caymans gave Chris the courage cour-age to plan an excursion to the British Isles which he did solo in September. He stayed in a castle in Edinburgh, Scotland, saw the sights in London and got caught in the subway strike that curtailed some of r --;-;- - - t : ,:.T - ' t-J U. S . -jt' . The trip to the Grand Caymans gave Chris the courage to plan an excursion excur-sion to the British Isles which he did solo in September. He stayed in a castle in Edinburgh, Scotland, saw the sights in London. Photo courtesy of Chris Hocker his sight seeing. While dining din-ing in a pub, Chris met a local lo-cal man who directed him to landmarks and points of interest inter-est he wouldn't have found on his own. Since Chris was first featured fea-tured in the Timpanogos Times last November, he has accom plished things that would have seemed impossible ten years ago. With drive and the tenacity tenac-ity that got him to the Grand Cayman Islands, this young man will continue to dream, scheme, and experience life, knowing he can have whatever he sets his mind to. |