Recoil: Deondra Parks at TEDxDayton

Deondra Parks is an aerospace medical technician assigned to the Internal Medicine Clinic at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. She initially enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 2004 as a member of Security Forces and was assigned to various duty stations, including Taegu AB, South Korea; Aviano AB, Italy; Balad AB, Iraq; Osan AB, South Korea; and Tinker AB, Oklahoma. On April 20, 2010, while on active duty in the U.S. Air Force training to be a medic in Wichita Falls, Texas, Deondra sustained gunshot wounds to her legs during a targeted hate crime shooting. She recovered, undergoing six surgeries to date.

While on active duty in the U.S. Air Force training to be a medic in Wichita Falls, Texas, Deondra sustained gunshot wounds to her legs during a targeted hate crime shooting. She recovered, undergoing six surgeries to date. Deondra writes, "I consider myself a survivor surviving. Although I have a resilient spirit, I have to work at it daily. Being resilient isn't a skill we are born with. However, given the proper tools we are able to build it. Every day is a constant battle of will and deciding whether or not to submit to what everyone would understand: giving up. I maintain my strength through physical, social and spiritual resilience. I've chosen to accept what happened to me and what lies ahead because of it. I am in control of my life. I've chosen to take the good from my situation and use it to not only better myself but also the world. By choosing acceptance and gaining a positive perspective, negative aspects of my misfortune cannot and will not haunt me."

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)