Erik Holm delivers inspiring speech about hope and love
Holm hopes that in telling his story, people can relate to his trauma and find hope.
Actor and quadriplegic, Erik Holm delivered an inspiring speech at the Dutch Reformed Church in Villiera on Thursday morning.
In his speech, titled From Trauma to Triumph, Holm related the ordeal of breaking his neck and how the love of friends, family, God and even strangers inspired him to keep on going and battle through his trauma.
Best known for his roles in 7de Laan and Binnelanders, Holm recently put his storytelling talents to use giving motivational speeches.
Holm hopes that in telling his story, people can relate to his trauma and find hope for themselves.
In 2007, at the age of 25, Holm broke his neck when he dove into the lake in Secunda to retrieve a ball – which changed his life for ever.
Holm said the whole world changed for him within a matter of seconds.
“When I was in the water and I realised I couldn’t move, the whole world changed for me,” he said.
“I went from being in control of my life to being completely helpless.
“The first thing that you experience when something like this happens is you are flooded with people saying they are sorry or they say ‘I’m so sorry this happened to you’.”
Although he is extremely grateful for the supportive messages he received from family and friends, Holm said that it soon became an excuse for him to feel sorry for himself.
“I laid there in the hospital, unable to move, feeling very sorry for myself because it was easier than trying to get my life back on track.
“I fell into a deep depression and became suicidal.”
Holm said he felt there was very little reason to carry on living and became discouraged with the lack of progress he was making in his physical therapy.
He closed himself off from family and friends and asked the nurses at the hospital to not allow anyone to visit him.
But when his father insisted on visiting him one day, he said something that he will never forget.
“He stood in front of the bed and said: ‘you must now decide if you want to live or die, because I can help you with both’.
“I have never been more deeply shocked by someone’s words,” he said.
“It was the last thing I expected him to say but it gave me a wake-up call and I decided that I want to live.
“I wanted to live but not like this.”
Holm was then faced with two questions: how will he continue and where does he begin?
These answers would only reveal themselves as time went on.
For the next three-and-a-half years, Holm’s sister took care of him in her home.
“She sacrificed three years of her life just for me.
“She had plans to go overseas and do all these great things but instead she chose to take care of me.
“The love that some people have in them is just extraordinary,” he said.
Holm said that he was not only receiving help, but allowing people to help him, that gave him the strength get through his trauma.
“Allowing people to reach out to you is essential in realising there is hope.”
He also encouraged people to build communities to help them cope with trauma.
“You might think that there isn’t help out there for you, but there is.
“Some people are really alone and can’t see the love that surrounds them, and the only way we can show them that this is not true is by building communities.”
Follow Holm on Facebook for his speaking tour calendar.
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