Austin Beggin’s Unparalyzed Story

Before his world changed in an instant, Austin was a typical young adult - energetic, outgoing, and always ready with a joke. He was a triple threat in the high school sports world, playing baseball, soccer, and swimming. Austin tilted his head back and smirked as he said, “I only applied to one college. Ohio State wasn't just a college choice for me; it was a family tradition.”

Even at Ohio State, when things got tough earning his degree in business, he didn't back down. "I looked in the mirror and said, 'No, you can do it.’ 

This persevering mindset would prove to help him in the biggest trial of his life.

Then came the day that changed everything. On a family vacation he and his siblings were playing a made up game within the waters of Florida, trying to keep a ball in the air. "I dove, and I hit my head," he remembers. The moment was surreal - feeling trapped, unable to move, knowing something was terribly wrong. His brother pulled him from the water, and from that moment on his life was dramatically changed.

The diagnosis: Austin suffered a C3 spinal cord injury which classified him as a quadriplegic. "I couldn't feel or move anything below my shoulders," he explains. The ventilator became his lifeline, breathing for him when his body couldn't. Those first weeks were a blur of medication, uncertainty, and fear.

But hope flickered. "I started to feel my toes," he said, his voice still carrying the excitement of that moment. His family was skeptical at first - they'd cover his eyes as he precisely identified which toe was being touched. "My pinky, my big toe, my left big toe," he would say. He said that he had recovered from many injuries when he was younger, so he had faith that he would recover from this one too. Being able to feel again was assurance of this. When return of his body did not come the way he wanted it to, he became disgruntled in ways that only his family could see.

“I just wanted to be able to scratch my nose or pick something up and bring it to my mouth to eat it.”

Even still, his faith became his anchor.

He would have his mother play a song called ‘I Give Myself Away’ by William McDowell. " It was comforting to me," he shared. 

He started singing the lyrics to me with a smile:

“I give myself away

So You can use me…

All my dreams, all my plans

Lord, I place them in your hands

I give myself away

So that You can use me”

Austin’s journey wasn't easy. On top of being paralyzed from the shoulders down, he endured six months of striving to breathe on his own. Battling a ventilator that was both a lifeline and a prison. "There was a time I struggled mightily," he admits. "But I didn't quit," he says - a simple statement that speaks volumes about his spirit. Just like he didn't quit business school, he wouldn’t quit on himself either.

Today, his story isn't about what he lost, but what he gained. Resilience. Perspective. A deeper understanding of strength that goes far beyond physical ability.

His view of success is now a bit different than when he graduated college. With an unbreakable spirit that refuses to be paralyzed by circumstance, Austin truly gives himself away so that he can be used by God.

Through a groundbreaking brain-computer interface study, Austin is experiencing moments of incredible hope with feeding himself and getting to shake his dad‘s hand as he wrapped his fingers around his dad‘s for the first time in 10 years! But through this all, his eyes are on a bigger picture. "I was hoping this could be a catalyst for what might be a game changer for spinal cord injuries in a decade or two," he shared, revealing his selfless motivation.

“I give myself away so You can use me.”

In the depths of his journey, he discovered that true resilience isn't about conquering challenges alone. As he powerfully articulated, "It's okay that you'll never be able to withstand a burden like this on your own. That's what your faith is there for. “His words cut to the heart of a profound lesson: sometimes our greatest strength comes from submitting to God within our weaknesses (2 Cor. 12:9-10).

Austin’s powerful message resonates in his reflection on faith: "When those hard times come, a lot of us think a little determination can get us through. But there are challenges that will push you to realize you can't do it alone." He learned that true resilience means understanding that "Christ did it, so all I really need to do is go through Him in this journey."

As he continues this remarkable journey, his life stands as a living testimony of hope. "It doesn't mean it's going to be easy all the time," he admits, "but I'm going to put it and leave it on Him and what He did, taking the pressure off myself."

His story is more than a personal triumph it's a beacon of possibility for anyone facing seemingly insurmountable challenges. In his own words, he wants us to take hold of this truth: Faith isn't about avoiding struggles, but about finding strength beyond our own limitations.

Austin’s 10 Year Testimony

60 Minutes Featuring Austin and The Study He’s In.