Get Back Up: A memoir on how to not allow a devastating life-changing event ruin your quest for a great life

by Rod Cate

GET BACK UP is a motivational book about my life. At age 15, I suffered a broken neck playing high school football that left me paralyzed from the neck down. I went from athlete to quadriplegic in the blink of an eye. Following surgery and extended rehabilitation, and against all odds, I was fortunate enough to walk again but have gone through life with an extreme disability, including partial paralysis. I've been a practicing trial lawyer for over 25 years. The book gives you a look into trying cases through the eyes of a handicapped lawyer. Actually, the book begins with my most disappointing trial result when I lost a $140 million verdict. The book has several humorous moments, including how I respond when a total stranger asks me if I have cerebral palsy or multiple sclerosis and how to best handle a "bless your heart." I explain how to fall to minimize injury but more importantly, how and why to keep getting back up. The book's purpose is to motivate and inspire you to put aside life's sometimes devastating twists and turns and stay focused on your quest for an incredible life. I hope you enjoy it.

118 pages, Paperback

Published July 31, 2018

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the aspects of this book that I enjoyed most was that it’s a story of how an ordinary person overcomes an extraordinary injury and goes on to live an ordinary life. As he notes in the beginning, it’s not a story of someone coming back to climb Mt Everest or other physical feat that few of us will ever achieve. Rod’s life is pretty relatable. He becomes a lawyer, gets married, raises a family, etc. What is extraordinary is that he does all of these things with good humor and a positive outlook even when every movement is a challenge. He can’t take anything for granted. I guess the lesson for the rest of us is either should we.