I met with Sheldon Pahl at the Java
Connection in Whitehorse where we talked over some piping hot chocolate
and whipped cream. His disABILITY success story begins in 2009 when Sheldon was
working as a Journeyman Carpenter. One day, part way through a job he was completing in Porter Creek, Sheldon slipped and fell from a rooftop deck. Lying on the ground waiting for the ambulance to arrive he
remembers thinking “I guess it’s time to spend more time with the family.” That reaction sums up Sheldon’s outlook on life.
It is what you make of it.
Following his initial surgery, Sheldon
spent 10 months in a wheelchair. He underwent more surgery and then spent 10
months on crutches. He was off work for 20 months and during that
time dedicated 4 hours every day to physiotherapy. Despite all of his hard
work Sheldon’s surgeon said that, with the extent of his injuries, it was not
possible to do construction anymore. Although this prognosis didn’t deter
Sheldon from building his own family a home just six months after he could
walk, he knew that he needed a new long term plan.
If he could no longer do what he
loved, what would he do now? And could he be satisfied and fulfilled with
something other than what he loved most? Sheldon admits that this decision was
the most difficult part of the process for him. His struggle began to wane when
the results from aptitude testing with Worker’s Compensation Board indicated
that he would be a very suitable candidate for becoming an Occupational Health
and Safety Officer. He would be in a position to prevent accidents and injuries, such as the ones he had sustained on the job, for other workers.
Sheldon reflects that he
never, in a million years, saw his life where it is now. He is working towards
a diploma and, once he has graduated, will have the professional designation of 'Canadian Registered Safety Professional'. He will be responsible for enforcing Occupational Health and Safety Law. The profession is
based on The Internal
Responsibility System; an Act which states that as an employer you have a
responsibility to ensure that your workers remain safe. Sheldon's new long term plan is to
advance and eventually retire as Director or Assistant Deputy Minister.
When I ask Sheldon why he thinks his
potential tragedy turned into a success story he gives me three words: Attitude.
Dedication. Tenacity. If he approaches
a task that is affected by his physical limitations, he contemplates how to accomplish it a little bit more. Nothing stops him. According to his doctor he really shouldn’t be
able to do what he can do. Ralph Waldo
Emerson said "Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you”. Sheldon is a shining example of that philosophy. The definition of “yourself” changed for him and
he embraced the change and persevered.
Thanks for the inspiration Sheldon!
