When Life Hits You Hard?
Kelly Sutton was a beautiful, feisty 16-year-old who had just one dream. To race NASCAR just like her daddy and granddaddy did. She was on her way, with her goals laid out clearly before her, and 6 years of racing experience under her belt. Then life took an unexpected turn. . .
It began with a tingling in her right side that grew to bouts of numbness. What in the world was going on? She couldn’t walk quite right and the overwhelming fatigue made everything she did a battle. The doctors diagnosed Multiple Sclerosis (MS).
Kelly’s 16-year-old world came crashing down with the diagnosis. She tried to absorb the facts of her disease. In multiple sclerosis, damage to the myelin in the central nervous system (CNS), and to the nerve fibers themselves, interferes with the transmission of nerve signals between the brain and spinal cord and other parts of the body. Kelly’s mind rejected the facts but latched on to the reality of the symptoms she would live with for the rest of her life.
“Numbness. . . tingling. . . fatigue. . .” She already knew everything the doctors were telling her. Then the talk went from bad to terrible. “It will get progressively worse. In 8 – 10 years you will be in a wheelchair, not able to walk anymore.”
She had endured so much already. Before she turned 16 she had been in two motorcycle accidents that left her with broken bones and concussions, and she had survived spinal meningitis that killed 9 of her relatives. But this. . MS was a life sentence. . .
Kelly’s dreams came crashing down. Everything she wanted had been taken away by a disease she had no control over – a disease that was instead controlling her body and her life. She just wanted to crawl in a hole and die; convinced her life had come to an end. Her life was over at 16. She slipped into a deep depression for 2 years.
She’ll never forget the day her daddy sat her down for a talk. “You still want to drive, Kelly?”
She was stunned by his question. “Yeah, but how can I?”
“I reckon we have to figure that out. You’re a fighter, Kelly – not a quitter.”
Her daddy wouldn’t let her quit and his belief in her gave her what she needed to try. She went on steroids and did everything the doctors told her to in order to race again.
She was only 19 when she climbed behind the wheel of her race car and competed for the first time in 3 years!
Life’s challenges weren’t over, however. She had raced locally for four years before her daddy bought her a Goody’s Dash car so she could fulfill her dream of racing at Daytona. She was on her way! Until. . .
One week before the race she lost control on a patch of ice and smashed her car into a tree. Broken ribs. Dislocated right hip. Dislocated left shoulder. Collapsed lung. . . The severity of her injuries brought on a relapse of MS, put her in a wheelchair, and made her dependent upon others for everything. Once again her dreams evaporated in the stark reality of her disease. Until. . .
Her daddy showed up at her house with an exercise machine that looked like a go-cart and prodded her to get up and get moving. By now she knew better than to argue. She also knew that she had 
overcome so much already that nothing was impossible. Exercise, nutrition and medication got her up and moving, and yes, eventually back into a race car.
She’s been going strong ever since and has a shelf full of awards that show just how possible it is to overcome adversity and challenges to fulfill the dreams you have. Kelly is the only NASCAR driver who has MS. When she’s not racing she is busy with her two daughters, or speaking to groups all over the nation about living with, and overcoming her disease.
“I know there was a purpose for me,” Kelly says. “Because I have been through so much. I never thought I would get this far. Everything now is icing on the cake.”
We all have our own challenges. Most of us don’t have to fight things as hard as MS but we all have things we have to conquer in order to live our dreams. What are you willing to do to live your dreams?
It has to be said that succeeding in life takes a bit of doing. Those who stay true to their passion and believe in themselves are the ones who every envies. Who everyone thinks are lucky. No, my friends, it takes work and committment. If you are not “all in” then you will only get minimal results. Expect the expected. If you make no attempt to change, then expect to receive a whole pailful more of what you have……if that’s not satisfactory then a choice has to be made today. Only you can make that choice.
Your Coach in Success
Marq Jeffrey
CEO, Wealth Creators Inc - Leading the Wise to Wealth
1-877-644-7216
