Latter-day Saint Life

How a Latter-day Saint Is Fulfilling His Dream of Serving a Mission 4 Years After a Paralyzing Accident

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Aug. 29 marked the Saturday before the beginning of BYU’s 2015 fall semester, and 18-year-old Josh Hinton was enjoying his Freshman Orientation outdoor party.

Always a competitor, he decided to race another student through an inflatable obstacle course. As he entered an obstacle-course tunnel, “I hit my head on something ... and it broke three vertebrae.”

His spinal cord was also severely injured. He felt no pain as he lay on the ground. He felt nothing at all.

“I wasn’t super scared — but I remember calling out for help. It was hard to breathe, so I just focused on my breath. Words were hard to get out.”

Story by Jason Swensen, Deseret News. Lead image by Laura Seitz, Deseret News.
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