SA ANTONIO – Caden Arnold is a senior who is graduating from Medina High School and to those who know him, he is a true inspiration.
Caden is ranked as no. 1 in his grade, is the student council president and Future Farmers of America chapter president.
This is enough to merit appreciation, but Caden is reaching these achievements all after losing his leg at age 13.
Q: You’re very involved and accomplished. What motivates you?
“I think a lot of this transpired from my accident that I was involved in as a 13-year-old. I was in an ATV accident and wound up having my right leg amputated above the knee,” said Caden Arnold.
The accident set up an obstacle that no child should ever have to face.
“I was going a little too fast around a turn and it rocked over and then came back down and threw me over and the top of the Polaris Ranger landed below my knee and crushed the growth plate,” said Arnold.
After the wreck, Caden had to go to the hospital. He underwent five surgeries and that’s when everything changed.
“It was kind of a depressing period of time, because before the accident, I was basically in every sport,” said Arnold.
Q: How did you change your attitude? How did you become so optimistic?
A: “I came to the realization that life goes on. You can’t dwell on the past,” said Caden Arnold.
Before the accident, Caden was an athlete, and after his recovery, he was back at it.
“It was like two months after that I was walking again, another couple months and I was running playing sports, so it hasn’t slowed me down much. It’s made an impact,” said Arnold.
He even ran track, competing in the hurdles.
“My motivation was trying to show people it’s not impossible to get back into the swing of things, even with something as traumatic as losing your leg,” said Arnold.
Q: You are hiding your injury really well. Do a lot of people know what happened?
A: “I hate it when people look at me as being different. I mean, I am different. I try not to show it and I try not to make people look at me as helpless,” said Arnold
As for what's next, Caden is set to go to South Plains Junior College on a livestock judging scholarship. He plans to study pre-vet.
“You’re not gonna be able to change the past, so focus on the future and strive for greatness,” said Arnold.