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Carson at the entrance of the Olympic Training Center.

Photo supplied

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Carson sitting near the fireplace at his home in Layton.

Angie Erickson

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Carson and his mother, Camille in their kitchen.

Angie Erickson

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LAYTON — Reflecting on the last two years since his accident, Carson Tueller can sum it up in three words: grief, courage and love.

The 25-year-old from Layton recalls the moment on Dec. 30, 2013, when a flip into a foam pit at a trampoline park shattered his C7 vertebrae, paralyzing him from the chest down. “I remember…all this anxiety over not being able to move anything and not knowing what’s going on,” Tueller said.

The first year was a struggle for both Tueller and his family. Learning to adapt and cope was something that challenged them all, said mom Camille Tueller. “I watched our family struggle in a way that I thought would break us…each of us handled it so completely differently,” she said. But in the end, it was her son’s courage that kept them going.

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“I will forever think of Carson as the one who saved our family,” she said. “We were put in a situation that made us take a close look at ourselves and decide what was truly important in life.”

LIVING UP TO CHALLENGES, SETTING GOALS

Carson Tueller was a child who constantly sought out ways to challenge himself. He wanted to change the world. In fourth grade he asked his mom if he could compete as a gymnast in the Olympics. “I knew that this kid was going to do something big in his life and I needed to get out of the way,” she said.

It was a year after the accident when Tueller realized he was not going to gain the same amount of function he had hoped for.

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“I wasn’t going to be walking and accomplishing those kinds of goals nearly as quickly as I wanted,” he said. Instead of focusing on the uncertainty that came with that realization, Tueller decided to have a “here goes nothing” outlook on life. He took two things that he has enjoyed his entire life — swimming and music — and focused on them.

“With everything else in life I am trying to do what I used to do as an able-bodied person as a person with a disability, and that can be exhausting.”

As a private flute and piano teacher, music is a big part of his life. Tueller spent hours practicing, working small and simple things on his flute to get one finger to move a little better or one muscle to function more strongly, he said.

“I definitely saw improvements. Before, I could just play very slowly, stumbling along. I can play much more fluently now and actually get some of that music that’s inside me out in a way that’s fulfilling,” Tueller said.

To follow Tueller’s journey visit his blog Carson’s Road Home, or like his Facebook page, “Carson Tueller Recovery Updates.”

Swimming brought its own challenges. “I don’t know if I started the year off having the strength to continue swimming,” he said.

A Paralympic meet in Canada changed that. Being among other individuals living with disabilities and challenging themselves, Tueller felt a sense of belonging for the first time since his accident.

“It can be hard to always feel like the underdog, trying to do something normal, but swimming in the Paralympics, I am normal,” he said.

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Tueller pushed on, participating in another Paralympic swim meet in Bismark, N.D. In June of this year, he will be competing in the Paralympic Trials in North Carolina. He hopes to gain more function in his hands and the rest of his body. His goal is to be part of the Paralympic swim team in Rio de Janeiro.

“I’m still trying to figure out if that’s a realistic goal, I’m dropping enough time and I’m working hard and I think it is a possibility. But, who says goals have to be realistic,” Tueller said. “I’m shooting for the stars. I hope to be competing in the Paralympics in the 50-meter backstroke.”

Tueller says he also wants to spend 2016 focusing on things that make all people happy like relationships and his character.

“I want to develop in a personal way that I know will bring me happiness.”