When an Athlete Refuses to Be Broken

For survivors of harrowing events, the most challenging part of the saga often comes after they’ve lived through what seemed like an impossible scenario. Such was the case of Joe Stone, who was a high-flying athlete addicted to the thrills of sports like skydiving and BASE jumping before a brutal accident left him paralyzed from the chest down and with limited fine motor skills in his hands. And so he faced a giant question: What am I supposed to do now? His answer was to do things that everyone told him would be impossible. Joe’s story, one of our favorites from the Outside Podcast archives, offers a remarkable lesson in resiliency that feels fitting for a moment when the whole world is wondering how we’re supposed to move forward after a really hard time.