I'm Armin Brunel, I live in West Shuster, New York.
I've been skateboarding for, I don't know, like 16 years, 17 years.
I've been videotaping skateboarding since, like, 97, 98.
You know, whenever I've got my hands on, like, my friend's parents, like, video cameras or
whatever we can, like, videotape skateboarding with, I put out my first skateboard video
in 2000 and I put out my second skateboard video in 2004.
In June 2005, I broke my neck.
I dove into shallow water at a lake upstate in New York.
As soon as it happened, I knew I was paralyzed.
My friend Josh was right in the water and he grabbed me, like, you notice, like, I was,
uh, kind of like a dead fish in the water, like, face down.
As soon as that happened, like, in my head, I knew, like, I would be okay.
Like I said to myself, I was like, oh, give me, like, five years, I'll, like, be back on
a skateboard and give me, like, ten years, I'll be, like, skating and doing tricks.
Any kind of, like, traumatic injury, like, something that'll, like, slow you down, you
just have to, like, figure out different ways to keep going.
I would have my friends, like, bring me to, like, skate spots in, uh, in my wheelchair
and, like, film them for my wheelchair.
Even if I was paralyzed, like, I'd still be doing something.
I'd still be making stuff.
I'd still be doing, like, some type of video thing.
You just got to keep progressing and, you know, keep trying.
And then, uh, you know, gradually, like, kept getting stronger and, like, walking better.
And, um, I would, like, try and stand on a skateboard, like, now and then, but it was,
like, super frustrating trying to skate when you have a, you know, pretty bad disability.
My uncles, for Christmas, they bought me an Alva old school deck and then put, uh, handlebar
on it, like, a scooter handlebar.
So that's, like, when I started to, like, rehabilitate myself for, like, pushing and,
like, skating around and trying to be able to film while rolling, which was, like, so
impossible.
Like, I would take, like, one push and, like, lose my balance and, like, try and hold myself
off, it was just, like, a disaster, but eventually, like, I could push around and, like, go skating
with people, like, skate down the block to a spot or do some, you know, anything.
That was, like, a big step in skateboarding rehabilitation.
If I'm not skating, I'm, uh, like, either, like, bike riding or doing something.
I've been trying to do, like, a lot of artwork lately.
I went back to school, got my associate's degree.
The accident was June 26, 2005, and it's been a little over five years now.
I'm making my second skate video since the accident.
I've worked on a couple of films with different people, and I'm just gonna keep, keep making
stuff, making art and, uh, skate videos.
