Before the accident, I had been planning to propose to my girlfriend, Rachel. I had saved for months to buy a ring and carried it in my jacket pocket when we went to dinner. Afterward, Rachel hurried toward a crosswalk despite the flashing signal. A car raced toward us, and I pushed her out of its path. She escaped with bruises. I woke in hospital with a spinal cord injury that would probably leave me unable to walk. Rachel visited twice, then admitted she couldn’t face a future involving hospitals, wheelchairs, and my recovery. She left before rehabilitation had even begun.

My parents had abandoned me when I was eight, and my grandmother, who raised me, had since passed away. Loneliness nearly overwhelmed me, but I slowly rebuilt my independence. I learned to cook again and began posting recipes online under a pseudonym, keeping my face out of the videos.