Just as background information. After returning from my mission in 2012 I began school as a civil engineer and joined the Air Force ROTC. My desire was to become a Combat Search Rescue Officer in the Air Force. For those that don't know what that is they are basically a group of highly trained soldiers that are sent in when someone has gone down and bring them home. They are comfortable in water or land and driven by this motto "That others may live".  I wanted nothing more than to save the life of others. If I would have joined the ranks of those who have given there life for the freedom we enjoy, I would have considered it an honor.
That first semester back I realized I didn't have the knowledge or brains for being a civil engineer and switched my major to Technology and Engineering Education. It was more hands on much easier. (For those who don't have what it takes to be an engineer and love working with their hands and highly recommend this major.) I was in decent shape at this point in my life. With only working out for an hour 2-3 times a week and doing intramurals I was able to complete 85 pushups in a minute 95 sit-ups and run a mile and a half in around 8 min 15 sec and 3 miles in just under 18 min. Pretty good for going to school full time and also working.
After that fall/winter semesters I hurt my back somehow during the summer. I rested to allow it to get better and it wasn't getting better. I started going to the chiropractor and it started to improve. I tried working out again and ended tweaking it again and was out again. After around 5-6 months of recovery and to no avail I was looking for answers.
One sunday a member of my stake presidency came by to visit and I learned that he was a hip doctor. I explained my issue and he told me to set up an appointment to come and meet him. Which I did so. (So as a little more background I tore my hip flexor in high school along with some stress fractures in that area. I also tore my ham string upon returning from my mission. I was told these were a result of my tight lower back.) I went to meet him and at this point my back was constantly hurting and had very restless sleeps. Here were my thoughts while this was all happening.

Well felt like I should recap what's been happening lately. So I've been going to the chiropractor for the past 5 months because of low back pain. I think I hurt it up getting logs during the summer. So it's been giving me a hard time. I was talking with my parents and was looking into going to a different chiropractor to see if they could do anything. So one week during book of mormon class we were talking about being humble and being compelled to be humble. Our teacher shared a story with us about a professional athlete, Brian Sternberg, who wasn't humble at all. He was amazing at what he did. He had many ncaa championships and did it all about himself. He was quoted saying that he didn't need coaches and if i remember right they asked him about God and he was like "who". While he was practicing by himself (he did a trampoline event) he landed on the side of the tramp and was found later by someone and was rushed to the hospital to learn that he was paralyzed and became a paraplegic. He was humbled and had to rely on everyone for everything. It was then told that he was speaking to a group of ncaa champions and told them he was grateful he was humbled because he found God. So then a week later or we were getting ready for ward conference and a member of the bishopric and stake presidency were visiting members of the ward. So they said after prayer that they felt that they should come to our apartment. They didn't know why. So I was in a lot of pain at this time and learned that President Smith was a hip specialist. When I was introducing myself i told him that part of the reason that he was there was for me. So I explained my problem and he gave me the number to his office and I set up an appointment. So a week later I went into his office to see what was going on. So he took some x-rays and while looking at them he told me that I had arthritis in my hips. Talk about a wake up call. He told me that It wouldn't be advised to do the military. He said that if I did running or other activities that it would progress rapidly. So my hopes of being in the military were being crushed. He was concerned that I had it at such a young age and was worried that I had ankylosing spondylitis. So he was going to have me get some blood tests and then was worried that I had a pinched nerve and that's why I've been in such pain for a while. So I will be getting an mri soon to see what's going on. So I left his office kind of down. So the lucky thing is that my roommates were crazy enough to go to the temple that morning for the 6 o'clock session. So luckily I did that before the news or I might not have been able to hold myself together. So that day instead of working on my day off I stayed home and watched movies. The whole time I was thinking that my life was going to change dramatically and everything I loved to do, I wouldn't be able to do them anymore. So I knew there was nothing I could do and with help that was not mine I changed my attitude and began to look back at my blessings. I realized that I had been given the talent of loving and being able to do many things. I wouldn't be able to do running or other things that involved a lot of running, but I could swim and bike and other things like that. I realized that my gift of being able to do many things wasn't so I could be a search and rescue officer, but that I could still do things with my ailment. I then was thankful that I had maybe gotten this pinched nerve so that they could find that I had the arthritis. It would have been devastating to go into the military and later in life because of the strain to be handicapped. So a couple of my family members have been researching the disease and been looking for treatments and things to do to make it a little easier. So it looks like it might not be able to be cured, but I can improve myself a lot. So I also finally got away from the chiropractor and met with a professor at buy to do a lower back pain study. so I was put in a egoscue group to work on my posture. So while talking with him he said that if we can get our body aligned that the cartilage will start growing back and it sounded like to me that the sickness can be healed. That would be amazing if it could, but even if it can't I will have good posture and healthy body. I was given a blessing and was told the Lord was mindful of me at this time. He said that I would receive many blessings and that if I would call upon the Lord that he shower me with the things that I need. He then went further to bless me that I would be promised the blessings of a healthy body and strength and that I would be able to accomplish and do the things that I wanted to do in the future. 

The next couple of weeks were hard. The blood work came back and I was told it was 95% that I had the ankylosing spondylitis. Sad day. Finally got a mri and learned I had a torn disc and luckily no permanent damage yet.  I also began doing all the necessary paperwork and things to get released from the ROTC. This path that I had chosen I just couldn't reach because of my physical limitations. There was nothing I could do about it, but choose a different path. It has been many months figuring out where to go, but I think I have finally found a new path to try. I want to become an ironman.