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By Jack Beresford and Saha Heirati
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Growing up, my dream was to become a professional soccer player.
Then, in a single nightmare moment, everything changed.
I was always a very active kid, and back then, soccer was all that mattered to me.
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My soccer idol was Cristiano Ronaldo. There were many things I admired about him, but what I respected most was his work ethic and relentless determination to become the very best he could be.
I always believed I had what it took to make it as a professional.
I was playing for Raufoss Football Club in my native country of Norway and was doing very well. In 2019, at just 16 years old, I was on the verge of signing my first professional contract.
Then, on November 30 of that year, my career ended and my life changed forever.
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There are no words to describe what it's like to have your dream taken away in a matter of seconds, but that's exactly what happened to me.
My teammates and I were celebrating the end of the season. We had rented a venue, and there was food, drinks, and plenty of good times.
There was a gym mat on the floor, and throughout the night we were doing rolls and other tricks, always being careful to watch out for whoever was on the mat.
As the night went on, I decided to do one last backward roll. At the same moment, one of my teammates, who didn't see me, came from behind and collided with me while I was rolling.
I still remember the feeling of that impact. It felt like a gunshot. The pain was instant and overwhelming. I just kept shouting, "My neck, my neck."
I knew immediately that something was wrong. I tried to move, but I couldn't. People were pinching my legs and asking if I could feel anything. I couldn't. Right away, I knew it was serious.
My older brother was with me at the party. He and his friends helped stabilize me while an ambulance was called. Eventually, I was airlifted to a hospital in Oslo.
The doctors confirmed that I had broken my neck and severely damaged the C4 and C5 discs in my cervical spine. I underwent eight hours of surgery while the damaged discs were repaired and stabilized. For the first two days afterward, I was placed in an induced coma.
When I was finally well enough, the doctors told me what my family already knew: despite the surgery, the damage to my spinal cord was severe.
They told me I would most likely never walk again. I was told I would spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair and face a long and difficult road to recovery. The odds were bleak. They gave me just a one percent chance of ever walking again.
They said that if I did regain any movement, it would likely be minimal. Still, they encouraged me to begin rehabilitation and focus on regaining movement in my arms.
It was the hardest news I could ever imagine receiving. It didn't feel real.
When I first began rehab, the most I could do was lift my left shoulder a single centimeter. But little by little, that began to change. What started as tiny twitches and small movements gradually became more.
One day, while lying in bed and trying to move whatever I could, something incredible happened. I'll never forget it.
Suddenly, my right arm started twitching and moving, just a little. In that moment, I knew something amazing was happening.
Today, I have regained some strength and movements in my arms, but I'm not done yet.
It has been an incredibly difficult battle, especially mentally. The first year was the darkest and hardest period of my life.
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But despite the odds, I've always been mentally strong. I've continued to fight every day and refused to give up, even when it would have been easier to do so.
Hearing that I had only a one percent chance of walking again was devastating, but that number has motivated me every single day to defy the odds. I've already come so far.
Every day, I dedicate three to four hours to rehabilitation, working on standing and walking with assistance. Even though I can't move my legs independently, bearing weight through them is incredibly beneficial. By using my upper-body strength and hips, I can propel my legs forward and continue making progress.
I hope to walk again one day, and I'm optimistic about the potential of future treatments such as stem cell therapy and even Neuralink technology. For now, my focus is on rehabilitation, staying positive, and making the most of every day. I want to spread awareness, hope, and positive energy in everything I do.
I've accepted that this is the situation I'm in today, but I will never accept that it will be my life forever. I have hope. I have faith. And I believe I will continue to get stronger in the years ahead.
Ronaldo remains my idol. He is someone who has never given up and has always pushed himself to be the very best he can be.
That's what I try to do every day.
And that's my message to everyone: Never give up. Fight for yourself. Fight for your future.
Saha Heirati is a Norwegian-Iranian former soccer prospect who has built a substantial social media following by documenting his recovery from a life-changing spinal cord injury.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Marc Vargas and Emma Lee-Sang
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