William Smith, an orphan living with his aunt and uncle (laborers on a grape farm in rural South Africa), learned about their true power firsthand. In November 2010, he spotted a small birds nest at the top of an electricity pylon.

All his life, William had a fascination with birds and birds nest. As a small child, he would rescue injured or abandoned baby birds and nurse them back to health. For William, an orphan himself, no tree was too tall, and no nest was too out of reach.

So when he saw the nest perched atop that pylon, eleven year old William had to save it. He climbed that power line, and when he reached the top, *HE received a terrible and sudden jolt of electricity through his small body.

The power propelled his body upward and then all the way down to the ground. The devastating injuries he sustained from the sheer drop were nothing compared to the burns he suffered from the thousands of volts of electricity. His limbs were seared; in some places down to the bone.

He was rushed to Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital in nearby Cape Town, where doctors were forced to treat his third degree burns, and to amputate his right arm as well as half of his left arm. He would also have to relearn to walk because of severe nerve damage to his right leg.

William remained in the hospital’s burns unit, too tired and traumatized to interact with the other children or to participate in the art therapy program offered by Sascha Archer of the nonprofit Community Arts Therapy Programme.

William would watch intently as Ms. Archer would do art therapy with other young patients. Due to the severity of his injuries and the amputation of both of his arms, many had dismissed William as unable to even participate in art therapy, much less benefit from it.

Sascha Archer saw William becoming more and more withdrawn, discouraged from his injuries. In the U.S., we still have a long way to go, but we are lucky we have a culture that not only tolerates differences, but that celebrates them.

However, in South Africa, there seems to be an invisible disability culture making it very difficult for many with disabilities to live rich and fulfilling lives. Amputees and burns victims are often ostracized and end up going into hiding and living in isolation away from society.

So one day, when Sascha Archer saw William silently watching her interact with another patient, she took a marker in her mouth and wrote in big letters “HI WILLIAM”, and showed it to him. His eyes lit up.

Soon after, he began participating in the art therapy. And, not coincidentally, he began to recover much more rapidly. He was drawing and painting with his mouth and his feet in no time. He went from being sullen and withdrawn, to outgoing and even optimistic.

Where William had once nursed birds back to health, getting them ready to fly again, art provided him the wings he needed to express both his pain and his hope.

William is now a teenager, 14 years old. He attends Paarl School, a nearby boarding school for children with physical disabilities. He immediately set about making new friends and affecting everybody he comes in contact with with his infectious optimism and resilience.

A South African film and special effects company, Cosmesis, has begun the process of fitting him with a prosthetic arm that helps him tackle the activities of daily life, and has offered to make him new prostheses as he continues to grow.

He loves playing soccer and running track at school, and he swims in the Paarl pool as often as he can. One day William hopes to learn to drive a car. No small task for anybody, much less somebody who was not long ago dismissed as not even able to participate in art therapy.

We know that electric lines bring power. For William, they brought him a new kind of power; the power to inspire.

In the midst of our busy lives, we don’t realize the power every single one of us has, and we need these reminders. At such a young age, William was literally passed the power to provide something to everyone he encounters: hope, and the ability to adapt!

We don’t think about the power lines amongst us. It takes an amazing, positive spirit like William’s to appreciate their purpose and embrace it.

William Smith’s story is proof that with enduring optimism and an unflinching support system, there’s nothing in the world that can clip your wings.

Visit www.drivingwilliam.com to view the 3 minute “Driving William” documentary trailer of William’s story, view William’s paintings, and to find out how you can help.

(All photos courtesy of Sascha Archer)

Q

While this may not be a question, it is nice to find a link on your website to personally reach out to you and express more than just an inquiry.

I have been following you, your courageous life story, and philosphy of “Believe and Achieve” for some time now.

Most recently I enjoyed your acting in “Army Wives”, profiling the Wounded Warrior Project. You have so many talents, we are blessed to have you as a positive role model.

While I am not a soldier, nor have I encountered any significant life events as you have, I have endured several spinal surgeries and live in chronic pain. As a 45-year old woman, I find inspiration in those two simple words “believe and achieve”, and it is because of you that I push through the daily pain – no matter how difficult it is, or how many times I would rather just live the life of a disabled person letter everyone feel sorry for me.

I cannot do that, nor will I allow myself to accept that philosophy because of YOU. YOU are my personal hero. You have continued to life a full life and you are such a motivational force for me, I have hope again. I have hope that if I believe the new day will bring less pain, I know I can wake up and achieve that goal.

I am eagerly anticipating your new book and look forward to it becoming an example of how I can push through every obstacle that comes my way – every single day.

I wish you the best in your life, congratulate you on the birth of your beautiful child, and thank you for being a blessing to so many people, on so many levels.

You are a true hero and an extraordinary man. A shining light in this dark world we find ourselves living in today. I thank you for your service and sacrifice for our country. And I wish you every blessing the universe has for you.

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God’s blessings to you and your family!

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Thank You for the visit.

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You can listen to him live by clicking here.

Actor, author, motivational speaker and U.S. Army veteran J.R. Martinez joins The Doctors to discuss his new memoir, Full of Heart, detailing his remarkable life story of survival, strength and spirit.

On April 5, 2003, J.R. was on active military duty, deployed in the Middle East. While driving a Humvee just south of Baghdad, the front left tire ran over a roadside bomb. Within seconds, both the vehicle and J.R. were engulfed in flames. Miraculously, he survived the incident but being trapped inside the burning vehicle caused respiratory damage, bone fractures and severe burns to more than 30 percent of his body.

J.R. was evacuated to a local medic station and eventually was transported to an Army medical center in Texas, where he spent 34 months in recovery. During that time, he underwent 32 different medical operations, including skin grafts and cosmetic surgeries.

In 2008, J.R. started a new chapter of his life, where he was cast in ABC’s Emmy-winning daytime drama, All My Children, as a wounded combat veteran. He went on to win Season 13 of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars and also appeared on the season six finale of Army Wives as a physical therapist, treating and inspiring injured war veterans. In addition to being in the television spotlight, J.R. serves as a spokesman and motivational speaker for fellow wounded veterans. He was the 2008 recipient of Assurant Employee Benefits’ “Shining Star of Perseverance,” and he also received honorary recognition in 2009 by the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), who presented him with the Veterans Leadership Award.

“What I’ve learned after I was injured is that I can be of service in a different way,” J.R. says. “I turned in my uniform, I turned in my weapon, but I can serve in a completely different capacity. My new uniform are my scars. My new weapon are my words, my experiences.”

J.R. recounts his harrowing story of being trapped inside a burning Humvee after it was struck by a roadside bomb.

“I almost started to accept that I wasn’t going to make it, that I was going to die,” J.R. says.

Hear how J.R. was rescued and put in a medically-induced coma to save his life. Plus, learn how tissue expanders are used for patients who require skin grafts.

“I learned very quickly, when they put the word ‘disability’ above me, I learned how to kind of reach up and scratch off the ‘dis;’ essentially, I tell people, ‘I dis the ‘dis’ and what I have left is ability,’” J.R. says.

J.R. Martinez on Fatherhood
On May 2, 2012, J.R. and his girlfriend, Diana, welcomed a baby girl, Lauryn Anabelle Martinez, to the family. Moving from the dance floor to diaper duty, J.R. says that being a father is his most exciting adventure yet.

“With fatherhood, because they grow so fast, it forces you to really appreciate every single moment,” he says.

Part One

Part Two

Part Three