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Blinded in crash, Engel speaks of overcoming obstacles
UNT Student Activities Coordinator John Daniels listens as motivational speaker Marcus Engel introduces his seeing eye dog Carson during a motivational speech to students and staff Oct. 14. Engel was left blind from a car accident during his freshman year in college.
Dallas—Motivational speaker Marcus Engel described how he has overcome life’s obstacles during a special presentation at UNT Dallas arranged by the Student Development Office Oct. 14.
Engel had played high school football and athletics had always been a big thing to him, he said. When he was 16 he had his first fender bender, and the car he hit was driven by the wife of his high school principal. His principal tried to calm him down and told him, “’This is not a big deal. You’re going to learn there are so many things in this world that you can’t change. Change the things you can and don’t worry about the rest.’ I didn’t realize how much that was going to come back to help me in the next couple of years,” Engel said.
Using humor as much as possible, Engel recounted the tragic events of 15 years ago. On the night of Oct. 9 during his freshman year of college, he and three friends enjoyed a St. Louis Blues hockey game. On their way home their car was broadsided by a drunk driver. When he briefly regained consciousness, he was lying face down on the ground and realized his left jaw “was hanging off its hinge, and that’s the moment I thought I was going to die,” he said.
Engel woke up the next morning in a hospital bed robbed of his ability to see, hear, smell, taste or speak. Facing blindness and hundreds of surgeries to reconstruct his face, he repeatedly faced the urgency of deciding between pressing forward and giving up. In the process he learned the wisdom of “changing what you can, and letting go of the rest.” He set goals for himself, including returning to college as soon as possible. His recovery took more than two years, and he had to learn to “see” with the help of a service dog.
During a lecture, banquet and workshop, Engel shared the details of his injuries and recovery and how he accepted and embraced the challenges. About 70 people attended some or all of the presentation, Student Activities Coordinator John Daniels said.
Engel’s challenges and his accomplishments since are documented in his book, “After This…An Inspirational Journey for All the Wrong Reasons.” He also has written “The Other End of the Stethoscope,” a tribute to health care professionals. The book offers insights into patient care.
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