That’s why you join sports

Discipline and physical strength saved Stafon Johnson’s life just two days ago when a 275 lb. barbell slipped from his hand during weight training and landed on his neck. The incident was freakishly random and rendered him unable to speak. He was coughing up blood as he was rushed to the hospital where he is in stable condition but Dr. Gudata Hinika, Trauma medical director, California Hospital Medical Center said,  “Mr. Johnson having [a] really strong neck and being in such amazing athletic skill and condition clearly contributed to his recovery from this potentially bad injury.”

Dr. Hinika reminded me that despite the perversions of motivation for superior physical conditioning that have more to do with cosmetics, we “…beat our bodies and make it our slave…” for a much nobler reason. The reason is that the human body is a gift and any gift is either cherished and utilized or cherished and re-gifted. Items given to you on occasion are ascribed value based on what you do with it afterward and the human body is no different a gift. Of the billions of bodies on the planet, there are seemingly infinitesimal differences in the physical capacity of humans. Not everyone is a University of Southern California running back but for those of us blessed to not be paralyzed or severely debilitated, Mr. Johnson’s close call illumines the marvel that is the human body.

Not only was Stafon Johnson saved by his anatomical specimen, but he was saved by the discipline of his training. He was conscious when the accident occurred, undoubtedly in pain and possibly headed toward a panicked reaction. Suddenly he was struggling to breathe, he couldn’t communicate and gurgled blood perhaps for the first time in his young life. Nevertheless, Johnson remained calm enough to follow instructions while under duress.

Doctors have given a promising prognosis and believe he will play football again but more importantly the theme coined by Judy White that “preparedness is 90 percent of a disaster…” rings true. Johnson likely has the potential to play professionally but his brush with death is further proof that while “no discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful,” it may be what stands between life and death.