Carson Tueller ‘felt broken’ after 2013 accident that left him paralysed
Exclusive: "Some of the best parts of my life are a direct result of that fateful day when I was injured"
Carson Tueller, the speaker and personal development coach, has spoken of how he “felt broken” following the accident which left him paralysed.
Appearing in Attitude’s Real Bodies feature in the January/February issue of Attitude – out now – Carson shared he had experienced “the widest range of emotions,” since his trampolining accident in 2013.
Reflecting on the last decade he said: “Some of the best parts of my life are a direct result of that fateful day when I was injured. But it has also been 10 years that I haven’t felt grass underfoot, or the wind and sunshine on my legs in the summer, or the full-body feeling of a bear hug. I miss these and countless other things so intensely that it can sometimes feel unbearable.”
The professional speaker described thinking he had the “perfect body” before his accident which he felt he had then “totalled.” Continuing he said, “that it was nothing but a heap of scrap that I was destined to carry around for the rest of my life. I felt broken.”
“I am not my body, but rather, my body is my collaborator, lover, friend and helper” – Carson Tueller
But learning about philosophy gave him a new understanding of life and that his feeling of being broken was due to ableism. And while recognising that there are still bad moments, he often feels “a great deal of love and gratitude” for what his body can do.
“It has carried me throughout my life, and I find it utterly miraculous that it has continued to thrive and grow alongside me, even with a spinal cord injury.”
Carson added: “The way I see it, I am not my body, but rather, my body is my collaborator, lover, friend and helper. We work together in a beautiful symbiotic relationship, in a dance with one another.”
Read the full interview in the January/February issue of Attitude – out now.
Words Carson Tueller as told to Alastair James Photography Drew Blackwell Styling Jamie Grace Fashion Assistant Tyler Sparling Hair and makeup Kela Wong using Balmain Hair and Charlotte Tilbury