Dear Amberley Snyder,

I cannot begin to comprehend where life has taken you. One minute you were simply on your way to a stock show, the next your life was forever changed.

When I first heard your name, I was just beginning my freshman year of college. I was scrolling through my Facebook feed while I wrote a paper for my English class and I came across a video that a friend had shared. It was a short video about your accident and your return to the rodeo scene. The video made me curious and I wanted to know a little more about what I had just seen. A quick search of your name brought up several Wheelchair Wednesday videos and your role as an inspirational speaker. My first thought was how in the world does someone get back in the saddle after learning they are paralyzed from the waist down? How do you find the strength to start from scratch and figure everything out all over again.

When the doctors told you that you would never ride again, you could have simply accepted it, but you didn't. You worked your way back into the saddle and returned to competing. You became an inspirational speaker in hopes that your story would help other people. There is a Bible verse, John 1:5 "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it." You overcame the odds and you continue to better yourself as a competitor every day. I love to come across your posts on Instagram or Facebook and follow your continuing story. You remind that no matter what the circumstances are you can always overcome them with hard work and perseverance.

My freshman year was by far the worst year of my college experience in terms of stress and learning to deal with how different life at college was compared to life at home. There is no doubt in my mind that I came across that post back in 2013 for a reason. Learning more about your story, the accident, and your comeback made me realize that all I needed to do was keep my head in it and continue to rely on my faith.

So thank you, Amberley Snyder. Thank you for being a role model and an inspiration because there will never be any question that life will throw you many hardships. We wouldn't become who we are as people if we weren't thrown a few curve balls every now and again. It teaches us to rely on perseverance and God's ever unfailing love.