Dare to Ask | A journey of perseverance & finding purpose
I don't wanna see anyone go through like pain or feeling like they're useless or anything like that because I've had that feeling in my life before, and it wasn't a good thing to have. If I can assist someone feeling the same way I do now, I'll be happy to.
Full episode transcripts here:
Interviewer: Can you tell us about your back injury?
Elliot Sales: So it was when I was playing football at age, under 10. So I was running away, I got away from everyone then that their fastest player, took over from behind, I'm pretty sure it's like, and I was hit pretty hard. I didn't any problems with until I turned about, it was 19. And yeah, it just kind of just went outta place, and that's when I knew something was up. So scoliosis is what I was diagnosed with, I had that and I also had lower back lumbar and slipped discs as well.
Interviewer: Did this affect your ability to work?
Elliot Sales: It's just, my back was like, not allowing me to do the jobs that I could do if I was without my back injury. So yeah. Castle would just like, gimme like options of what I can do and what I can't do within my health like restrictions with the, with my back. So yeah, it's, they've been like perfect is like to everything I need. I ask they can, they can look into it for me. They can follow up jobs. They can call people that I don't really want to call or whatever it is. I just, yeah, they've been perfect. I can't fault them.
Interviewer: Did they help you find a career?
Elliot Sales: I was going in there as kind of a person that didn't really know what they wanted to do, what they were, what their goal was in life. And I said it fine but I was interested in what was gonna make me feel like I'm changing lives or whatever. And I just I thought disability support is some people that can't they can't talk, they can't move around themselves. Can't make their beds, cook meals, all that kind of stuff. And I thought that's the best place for me to be. Making people feel comfortable, by not taking away their, I'd say their self worth kind of thing. I don't like, I don't wanna see anyone go through like pain or feeling like they're useless or anything like that because I've had that feeling in my life before, and it wasn't a good thing to have. If I can assist someone feeling the same way I do now, I'll be happy to.
Interviewer: Is it rude to ask someone if they have a disability?
Elliot Sales: So if you are someone that they got a disability and it's outta nowhere that is then rude but then if you kind of get to, you have a conversation with the person, you kind of get to know them a bit more and then they will normally have like a full on conversation with you about their disability. And they won't, they'll always they'll tell you what they need assistance with and what everything like everything they've gone with their life. Like, it's just like you're not there to judge you're just there to listen.
Interviewer: Any advice for someone with an injury like yours?
Elliot Sales: What I see is that if it's happened, you can't reverse it. You gotta just keep going on with your life. With me, I mean, I know it's hard and like you can there's a lot of things that can go wrong but I feel like there's always a shining light at the end. And if you get through this one hard thing in your life everything that you're going through is gonna seem so much easier.