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What happens when life throws everything at you - traumatic brain injury, severe mental illness, chronic pain, and profound loss? Kurt Wagner's answer might surprise you: you become stronger.

After a catastrophic assault left Kurt with a broken vertebral artery, blood poured onto his brain for approximately eight hours. Doctors gave him last rites, believing he wouldn't survive. The injury destroyed 40% of his neurons, including the left side of his cerebellum. When Kurt miraculously woke from his coma, he couldn't walk, talk, or even reach for a cup. His left vocal cord was paralyzed. Doctors told his family he would never function normally again.

But Kurt's story was just beginning. With unwavering support from his parents, he embarked on an arduous journey of rehabilitation. His mother, despite her own social anxiety, refused to leave his hospital bedside, creating makeshift sleeping arrangements from hard chairs. This constant presence became Kurt's motivation to fight.

Beyond the brain injury, Kurt battled obsessive-compulsive disorder since age five and bipolar disorder since fifteen - conditions that repeatedly brought him to the brink of suicide. The bipolar disorder created a Jekyll and Hyde existence, with depressive episodes causing dramatic weight loss and manic phases feeling "godlike" but often destructive.

Rather than being crushed by these challenges, Kurt transformed them into purpose. He became a licensed clinical social worker, channeling his experiences into helping others overcome their struggles. "If I'm going to have to go through all this, maybe I could at least make somebody else's journey less difficult," Kurt explains, citing Matthew 7:12 as his guiding principle.

Kurt's philosophy - "learning from our ailments rather than running from them" - forms the core of his book "Victory in Every Fall," which codifies methods for overcoming seemingly impossible odds. He likens his journey to the Greek myth of Antaeus, who grew stronger each time he was thrown to the ground.

Ready to transform your own challenges into strength? Kurt's extraordinary story reminds us that our deepest struggles often contain the seeds of our greatest growth. Share this episode with someone fighting their own battles who needs to hear that victory can be found in every fall.

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