When a former MMA fighter named GK became paralyzed from the waist down, he vowed he would only ever return to the beach if he could walk. But then he met a woman named Marte, and everything changed.
A Sad Turn of Events
GK has always been a physical guy. As a professional MMA fighter, he worked out and took pride in fueling his body. He even owned his own gym in Norway, where he lived. But then, one day in 2021, he dove headfirst into the water, and tragedy struck. The water was too shallow for a head dive, and there were concrete stones at the bottom. As a result, GK broke two vertebrae in his back.
At the time, he was paralyzed from the chest down despite an immediate operation. He and his supporters demanded better signage at the beach where he had the accident to prevent future injuries. Meanwhile, he vowed that he would not live his life in a wheelchair.
“The doctors say I’ll not go again, but I will. I do not envision life in a wheelchair. It is unreal,” he told World News Today on the phone.
A Pivotal Relationship
GK fell into a depression and vowed he wouldn’t return to the beach unless he could walk. There were days he dedicated six hours to his recovery, which was a painful and slow process. Then, one day, he sent a DM to a social media influencer named Marte, who inspired him.
“His goal was to walk,” she recalled to Majically News. “That was his only focus, every day.”
The pair fell in love, but Marte wanted to travel. She had always explored the world independently and wanted GK to come with her. Finally, she convinced him to start traveling around Norway with her.
Suddenly, GK was living in the moment rather than dreaming of a potential future that was no longer practical. A world of possibilities opened up, and he began doing things he hadn’t thought possible, like driving a motorcycle or riding a horse.
“I did all of this crazy stuff, and then suddenly she came into my life,” he said. “I never looked at [travel] like it was possible for me because I’m in a wheelchair.”
A Change of Perspective
As they began traveling, GK started appreciating the opportunities and life he had. He realized he could inspire others.
“We had a plan in our head,” he said. “Let’s show people it’s possible.”
Earlier this year, GK and Marte launched a new social media channel, Perspective By Us. Their first video was Marte wheeling GK to the one place he said he would never visit again unless he could walk: the beach.
In the video, Marte lifts GK onto her back, and the two enter the water together. It is the perfect launch into a life of adventure, possibilities, and inspiration.
“No one will understand the journey it took to get here,” they wrote in another video, in which the couple enjoys a waterfall together. “But here we are.”
Having the Right Mindset
Life isn’t always fair, and hard things happen to good people. It can be incredibly difficult to pull yourself up and out of a dark situation, especially when it changes the way you navigate your life. However, GK and Marte prove that it is possible if you first change your mindset.
This powerful story is such a great reminder to all of us that we can all survive hard things if we think about the things we do have and remember to live in the moment. Sometimes our situations change and we no longer have the life we thought we’d have. But that doesn’t mean we don’t have a life worth living to the fullest.
Especially when we surround ourselves with love and support the way this inspiring man has.
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