By Angela E. Pometto
Herald Staff Writer
(From the issue of 12/23/04)

Nearly five years ago, Chris Skinner was drinking at a party that ended in the hospital. From his wheel chair, 25-year-old Skinner shared his story with nearly 600 juniors and seniors at Paul VI Catholic High School in Fairfax last week. Since January of this year, he has spoken to 60,000 students about making good choices. Skinner has taken his negative experience and turned it into something positive.

Virginia State Sen. Jay O’Brien, R-39, a Paul VI parent, introduced Skinner. He said that there have been 17 teen auto fatalities in the Washington metro area in the past three months.

"Parents are scared to death every time you go out," O’Brien said, adding that law makers are stumped about what to do next. "A lot of these mistakes are already illegal. How can we legislate ‘don’t be stupid’?"

Skinner titled his talk, "The Ultimate Learning Experience."

"Not every day is guaranteed to us," Skinner said. "I don’t want anyone to experience what I experienced."

Skinner’s four keys to success included learning from others, making wise decisions, realizing consequences and learning to persevere. But his definition of success does not include a nice car or lots of money. His definition involves health and happiness. This is achieved by staying away from what he calls "temporary fun" and its negative effects. Temporary fun includes drug and alcohol abuse.

"The beer always runs out. Period," he said, adding that this kind of fun never lasts. "The party always ends." He said people keep looking for another party, another high, to try and prolong the fun, but it still ends.

When he was 13 years old, Skinner and his family moved to Franklin, Va., where a paper mill made the whole town smell. When he and his family first moved, Skinner asked people how they dealt with the smell. The locals all replied that they couldn’t smell anything.

"After four years, I didn’t smell it anymore. I became numb to it," he said. "Don’t become numb to the stench of negativity of alcohol and drugs."

Along with pictures from his high school years, Skinner explained that he was a normal teenager. He played golf, basketball, baseball and wrestled in high school. He attended Radford University when he was 17 years old and joined a fraternity, where he chose a life of temporary fun over education.

"Temporary fun brings negativity into your life," he said. Skinner displayed his report cards from his first three semesters at school. His first semester he received a 2.0 GPA that fell to 1.6 and then to .8.

"It’s pathetic," he said. "But it happened because of my choice and what I was involved in."

After he flunked out of Radford, he decided to wipe his slate clean. He joined the Army National Guard and attended a community college to get his grades up.

"The Army was the best thing that ever happened to me," he said. "I wasn’t involving myself in temporary fun." He received positive rewards because of it. Eventually, he was reaccepted to Radford, and he was on his way back when he had his ultimate learning experience.

On June 10, 2000, he went to a wedding with friends. He will never forget that day.

"I put my feet on the ground for the very last time," he said, describing the events of that morning. "I stood up for the very last time. I walked to the bathroom and took a shower on my own for the very last time. I ate a meal on my own for the very last time.

"You’re not invincible," he said.

When his friend came to pick him up, they made an agreement to skip the reception and all those temptations. They shook each other’s hands.

"That was the very last time I felt human contact," Skinner said.

After the wedding, he fell into that temptation. He stayed at the reception, even after his friend asked him to leave. When the party ended, he and six friends were left and one suggested they go to his house, only two miles away.

Skinner didn’t put his seat belt on for the two-mile drive, and on the very last curve, the driver lost control of the car. It flipped two times and Skinner was thrown out the window at 45 miles per hour.

He asked the teens to count to three and snap their fingers. "That’s how fast your life can change," he said.

When Skinner woke up, he had four bolts screwed into his skull, 50 pounds of weight around his neck and a tube down his throat, breathing for him.

"Is this worth temporary fun?" he asked. "The ball is in your court. You have to make the decisions, and I want you to make the right decisions."

Earlier this year, Skinner married his physical therapist, Suzie, who now helps him during his talks.

"What better life is there than to travel around with your husband?" she said.

Skinner’s family is involved with his outreach. His uncle helps with the Web site and his brother helps with scheduling, which also helps them deal with the tragedy.

"The teens trust him and open up to him," Suzie said, adding that they receive many e-mails every day from students who have heard him speak.

Skinner wasn’t a Christian before the accident, but he is now.

"Every second, I rely on God," he said.

For more information about Skinner call 540/633-2204 or go to www.chrisskinner.org.