What if one day, while you were doing something you love, something detrimental happens? You are in an accident, and your world turns upside-down. Fortunately, things like this do not happen often. Unfortunately, over one month ago, Joshua Keith (12) had to experience this disaster first-hand.

On Jan. 14, Keith was enjoying time with a few members of his family while snowboarding on the slopes of Keystone, Colo. The man-made snow had been icy and somewhat difficult to maneuver that day, but Keith had been handling it well- until he hit an ice patch.

“The ice patch didn’t end and I kept sliding faster and faster. I tried everything in my physical power to stop myself,” Keith said.

Keith had crashed into a tree. Upon impact, he could see nothing but black and lost all feeling in his body.

“It was almost as if nothing else mattered at that moment in time. I thought I was going to be paralyzed for the rest of my life,” Keith said.

After two rough, painful trips to different hospitals, Keith was treated for four broken ribs, five broken transverse processors on his spine, a punctured and collapsed lung, a lacerated kidney and a bruised spleen.

“I am so blessed not to be paralyzed or dead. Rarely ever do people survive accidents with trees,” Keith said.

Although Keith was strong through everything, he says he could have never done it without the help of his father and prayers of other family and friends.

“I would not be here today if it were not for all of my family and friends back home. I love each and every one of them,” Keith said.

Even though this experience was one of the scariest of his life, in Keith’s eyes, the pain was well worth it.

“With my story, I have reached so many people. Several people became believers of Christ from it. I would go through all of the pain again to know that I would see more people in Heaven,” Keith said.