Finding Strength After Life Changes
When life changes in an instant, finding the path forward can feel impossible. For Steve Emt, a two-time Paralympian, motivational speaker, and author, one night at age 25 transformed everything. After drinking with friends at a bar, he blacked out while driving 85 mph. The truck rolled 75 feet, throwing him out the back window. Days later, he woke from a coma to learn he was paralyzed from the waist down.
This is not a story of tragedy. It’s a story of transformation, perseverance, and purpose—a reminder that adversity, while devastating, can become an opportunity to discover strength you never knew existed.
From Athlete to Adversity: The Day Everything Changed
Steve grew up playing multiple sports, earning varsity letters in football, baseball, and basketball in high school. He was also a former U.S. Military Academy West Point cadet and went on to walk on to the University of Connecticut men’s basketball team. He was an All-State basketball player and still holds the all-time record for the leading scorer in boys’ basketball at his high school.
Athletic, driven, and with his whole life ahead of him, Steve felt invincible. Until March 24, 1995, at 1:36 a.m., when a single decision changed everything.
When he woke from the coma, the first person he saw was the doctor who had performed his surgery. She looked at him and said, “Steven, you’ve been in a bad automobile accident. You’ll never walk again.” The emotional impact was immediate and overwhelming. In the days that followed, Steve experienced profound despair: questioning his purpose, feeling like a burden, and struggling to see any way forward.
The Power of Choice: Steve’s Turning Point
Steve reached his lowest moment when he questioned whether life was worth continuing. “There were two days at the beginning I couldn’t get out of bed. I hit bottom. I was questioning a lot of things,” he said. “I was 25. I could have played professional basketball in Europe. I could have played professional soccer. All that was gone. I messed up. What now?”
His turning point came in an unexpected place: the therapy pool. It was there that Steve had his moment of clarity: he needed to change his thinking and forgive himself.
This realization led to one of his core philosophies: “We’re all in charge of our thoughts, our actions, and therefore our consequences.” For those facing their own life-changing circumstances, Steve’s message is clear: healing begins with a positive mindset, and self-forgiveness is essential.
Rewriting the Story: A Life of Purpose and Passion
After his accident, Steve became a teacher and high school basketball coach, finding purpose in mentoring others and giving back to the sport he loved. He holds a master’s degree in education and has dedicated himself to impacting young lives.
But Steve also needed to reconnect with his identity as an athlete. After trying many different wheelchair sports, including racing in the 2010 New York City Marathon, he was introduced to the sport of wheelchair curling in the summer of 2013.
The introduction came through serendipity and one person’s willingness to reach out. While visiting Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Steve was pushing his wheelchair up a hill to a bakery called Pie in the Sky when Tony Colacchio, a coach for the national curling team, approached him. Colacchio told him he was impressed by what he saw and invited Steve to visit a curling club to try the sport.
Steve was immediately hooked. “It just absolutely bit me,” he said, marveling at the chance encounter with Colacchio, whose own life growing up with a cousin who used a wheelchair inspired him to do all he could for wheelchair users. “He changed my life, and the sport changed my life,” Steve said. “He gave me this opportunity, and now, here I am, a 10-time national champion and two-time Paralympian … all because somebody went out of their way to include me. He was an incredible human being.”
Steve’s story teaches us an important lesson: Be a Tony. Even a simple gesture, a conversation, an invitation, an act of inclusion, can change someone’s life.
Rising to Greatness: From Setback to the World Stage
Steve is now a 10-time national champion and two-time Paralympian who has represented Team USA on the world stage. He made his Paralympic debut at the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Games, where Team USA finished in 12th place. Four years later, he competed at the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Games, helping the team improve to a fifth-place finish. Today, he is a member of the U.S. Wheelchair Curling Team, preparing for his third Paralympics to be held in Cortina, Italy, in 2026.
His journey demonstrates the power of perseverance and goal-setting. As Steve puts it, “We all have greatness within us. When you find it, go all in.”
His personal mantra has guided every step of his remarkable journey: “It’s not what happens to you. It’s what you decide to do with what happens.”
Full Circle: Turning Pain Into Purpose
Today, Steve travels the country, speaking to students and organizations about resilience, decision-making, and hope. “I’m either curling somewhere or I’m off impacting teenagers’ lives all around the country,” he said. “With those two things, I have some really good harmony going on in my life.”
At every presentation, he gets messages from attendees. “At every presentation, I get at least two dozen messages; my phone blows up,” he said, noting that about half are to thank him for his inspiration, while the other half are from teens struggling with serious problems and looking for a way out. “I get incredible responses from my presentations,” he said.
These messages keep him motivated to continue changing lives—proof that his journey has come full circle. His book, “You D.E.C.I.D.E.: A 6-step action plan to becoming the hero of your own life,” presents his framework: Determine, Educate, Create, Implement, Don’t Ever Give Up, and Evaluate—a methodology anyone can use to navigate life’s most difficult decisions.
Steve’s journey reminds us that while we cannot control what happens to us, we always have the power to choose how we move forward.
If You’re Writing Your Own Story of Recovery
When Steve reflects on his journey, he acknowledges something crucial: healing required more than just a mindset. It required practical stability. In those early days after his accident, facing an uncertain future, he needed to know his basic needs would be met while he focused on rebuilding his life.
If you’re recovering from a serious injury or adjusting to new physical circumstances, Steve’s advice is straightforward: seek support, talk to others, and know there are resources and communities ready to help. But don’t overlook the practical foundation that makes emotional healing possible.
Financial security isn’t separate from your recovery; it’s part of it. Tools like structured settlements exist specifically to provide that foundation, offering guaranteed, tax-free income tailored to your unique needs. Unlike a lump sum that can be quickly depleted during a vulnerable time, structured settlements provide long-term stability, allowing you to focus on what matters most: moving forward with confidence.
Steve’s story illustrates what becomes possible when you have both emotional support and practical stability working together. You can’t change what happened, but you can take steps to protect your future and create the conditions for your own remarkable comeback.
Begin Your Path Forward
At Ringler, we understand that life after a serious injury involves more than physical recovery. Like Steve, you deserve both the emotional support to envision a new future and the financial security to build it.
If you’re navigating life-changing circumstances, we’re here to help you explore how a structured settlement can provide the long-term stability you need. Our experienced consultants understand your journey and can design a plan that protects your future while giving you peace of mind today.
Connect with a Ringler consultant to learn how we can help you build a secure foundation for the next chapter of your story.
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A customized settlement plan from Ringler considers all the options and can provide hope and a secure future for injured people.
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