My
name is
Blake McMeans, and I speak publicly, especially to young people, because
I want to try to stop as many people as I can from making the nearly
deadly mistake I made: drinking and driving.
Through my speaking, I hope to save as many people as possible from
having to experience the adversity I have had to go through. The situations
I've been through I wouldn't want my worst enemy to have to endure.
It's been that tough.
In my case, we're talking about someone who had it all, someone who,
overnight, went from being voted best looking in high school and being
ranked #4 in the nation in tennis, to being confined to a wheelchair.
Maybe you can imagine what it was like going from being top in nation
in tennis to not being able to walk.
My speech deals with all aspects of my life before and after my accident:
the night I went out drinking, the accident, the months at the hospital,
and the years of rehab. Then it goes into tennis and gives a brief overview
of my endeavors with that subject.
more>>>
The importance of not drinking and driving is, of course,
the main message I want to portray, but there are also other messages
that are very important, especially never giving up on yourself and
what you can accomplish, no matter what anyone tells you. I also cover
in my speech:
• The time and effort it took me to overcome a lot of these obstacles
• The barriers I had to get through to even get myself to face
these obstacles
• The before-accident time period where I was playing a lot of
tennis, acheiving much success--yet still found (or made) time to go
out and drink
• How many times a week I drank, what amount, the older siblings
and friends I was with, and simply the choices I made.
Giving this speech is something I enjoy doing. Actually, I love giving
it. It means a lot to me just to know there is a chance--and I stress
"a chance," because not everyone is going to listen. If I
can help someone, anyone, to avoid the misfortunes I've been through,
then I want to be there in any way I can to help
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