Morris E. Goodman
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Morris E. Goodman | |
|---|---|
| MorrisEGoodman.jpg Morris circa 2005, with his pal Bandit. | |
| Born | November 9, 1945 |
| Nationality | US Citizen |
| Other names | "The Miracle Man" |
| Occupation(s) | Motivational speaker, author |
Morris E. Goodman (born November 9, 1945)[1] is an American motivational speaker and author. His remarkable recovery from a plane crash which left him paralyzed and unable to move, breathe, talk or swallow earned him the nickname of "The Miracle Man."[1]
Biography
In the summer of 1970, Morris E. Goodman "was a college dropout, lacking purpose and direction."[1] Upon a random trip to his local book story, Goodman discovered Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich (1937), as well as a few other books and tapes by other well-known motivational speakers, most notably Zig Ziglar. The subject matter was life-changing. Deciding to follow in his uncles' footsteps, despite their naysaying, Goodman sought a sales career in the insurance industry. Within a year, he made the Million Dollar Round Table. Within ten years, he made MDRT's Top of the Table and was running his own company, Morris Goodman and Associates.[1]
By March of 1981, Morris E. Goodman had achieved one of his dreams of obtaining his pilot's license and had bought his own airplane, a Cessna 172. On March 10, 1981, Goodman took a leisurely flight around Chesapeake Bay and the southern tip of the Delmarva Peninsula. Without any warning, the plane's engine lost power, causing an eerie hiss, and Goodman did all he could to maneuver the aircraft back toward the airstrip in Cape Charles, Virginia to make an emergency landing. As he approached the runway, the plane flew through a low-hung set of power lines, and the plane crashed to the ground, and flipped over. Goodman was knocked out, breaking his C-1 (Atlas (anatomy)) and C-2 (Axis (anatomy)) Cervical vertebrae, and was left paralyzed, unable to move from head to foot, breathe on his own, talk or swallow.[1]
Goodman was rushed to a local hospital in nearby Nassawadox, Virginia, and then again to Norfolk General in Norfolk, Virginia , where a life-saving surgery was performed. His doctors, however, were convinced that if he survived long at all after the surgery, he'd be doomed to a short, meaningless life in a persistent vegetative state, assuming he had also lost all brain function. In reality, nothing was farther than the truth, and Goodman began to develop a plan to achieve a full recovery.[1]
Goodman's sister, Pat Waldo, was the first to realize that Goodman was conscious by noticing his limited eye movement. Understanding that his eyes would be the only channel through which Goodman could communicate, Pat constructed a series of charts which contained the alphabet and other important subjects, each item correlating to a particular number. Goodman was able to blink his eyes for the number of times to relate to a particular object on each chart. Goodman was finally able to communicate his thoughts, but it was still insufficient compared to speech.[1]
On April 6, 1981, Goodman was transferred to the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville, Virginia. Understanding speech required the ability to breathe, Goodman had to find a way to breathe despite the permanent damage to his diaphragm. After weeks of intense practice, voluntarily using other abdominal muscles, Goodman was able to take his first breath without the use of a ventilator. (Morris E. Goodman still breathes this way to this day.) Stunned doctors slowly reduced the settings on Goodman's ventilator until he was finally able to breathe on his own. Soon Goodman began working with speech therapists until he was able to utter a single word - "Mama." On June 1, 1981, ready for more intense therapy, Goodman was moved to "The Towers" - a former rehabilitation center at UVA Medical Center. There he began to eat again and began working on learning to walk again.[1]
On July 6, 1981, Morris E. Goodman was admitted to the Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center in Fishersville, Virginia. Despite head doctors' insistence that his spinal cord had been permanently damaged to the point that his left side would be forever immobile, Goodman vowed he would walk once more, and would be home by Christmas. Obtaining permission to use the physical therapy and occupational therapy facilities earlier than their programs began, Goodman continued to work to improve his leg muscle strength and stamina until he could stand on his own, a feat he could not accomplish until the removal of a heavy halo vest (see Spinal orthoses) enabled him to maintain the proper balance to stand. After several weeks, Goodman was able to walk unassisted, and was released on November 13, 1981.[1]
Morris E. Goodman continued to receive therapy after his release from Woodrow Wilson, including chiropractic[1]. Later in life, Morris began a series of motivational seminars for businesses[2] and religious organizations[3]. His experience with chiropractic inspired Goodman to create a special presentation for chiropractors [4].
Media appearances
Morris E. Goodman wrote a book[1] about his experiences, a motivational/training short film[5] was soon produced thereafter, and a feature film[6][7] of his story is currently in development, all of which are aptly named The Miracle Man. Goodman received international attention when he shared his story in Rhonda Byrne's documentary film and book, The Secret. Goodman also appeared in the book[8] and film[9] "The Opus" by Douglas Vermeeren
Trivia
Morris' second wife, Cathy Goodman, also appeared in The Secret.
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Goodman, Morris (1985). The Miracle Man: An Inspiring Story of Motivation and Courage. Miracle Man Productions, Inc. ISBN 0-13-585357-5.
- ^ http://www.themiracleman.org/test.htm
- ^ http://www.themiracleman.org/churches.htm
- ^ http://www.themiracleman.org/chiro.htm
- ^ http://www.themiracleman.org/products.htm
- ^ http://www.indiewire.com/article/iws_project_of_the_week_the_miracle_man_vote_again
- ^ http://www.facebook.com/MiracleManFilm
- ^ http://www.theopusmovie.com/book.php
- ^ http://www.theopusmovie.com