Hello World

Who, me?

*I wanted to create a place where people can follow my story, relate to my struggles/experiences, and gain some perspective as I find it myself.  This website contains the good, the bad, the ugly, and all sorts of topics of discussion! Yes, I'll even discuss the stuff that people just don't talk about.  "The key to life is happiness. If you believe in yourself, anything is possible" - Dustin

Hey, thanks for trying to get to know me! I hope I get the chance to do the same. My full name is Dustin Daniel Escobar Sorensen Hickok and I was born in Sweden. "Why is he writing in English?!?!" Haha I know right? I was born in Sweden but grew up in the United States of America so I have dual citizenship. Colorado is my home! I love traveling and being able to go on adventures. I'm also totally a people person so making friends is my specialty.  I'll literally leave a group like they're all my best friends and someone will ask, "Who's your friend?" I'll reply, "We just met! Haha."

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The Good:

When I was growing up, my family traveled a lot so I was introduced to all sorts of things like food, culture, style. and language. I started singing at the age of 3 and started playing guitar at the age of 7. I am currently 23 but have been truly alive for 7 years (Keep reading to find out!). My parents put me into all sorts of sports when I was growing up so I did everything from soccer (futbol) to football (American). But my favorite sport was wrestling! No, not the WWE type of Wrestling. I know I did sports, but I was a total nerd too. I spent hours upon hours playing video games and creating my own games to play. I would also study music and made it my goal to get into Denver School of the Arts as a Vocal Major.

 The Bad:

I was in a really bad accident when I was 16 and had to give up wrestling and football. Among these sports I was told I would never walk again and I had amnesia so my problems were quite bigger than that. I recovered through a lot of PT and am now able to walk but I have drop foot in both feet from sciatica nerve damage to my lower back. I even got accepted into the University of Northern Colorado!

Freshman year of college at UNC I discovered the rock climbing wall in the school gym and I started climbing for fun. Before I knew it, I was on the UNC climbing team and was competing against other people in this new sport I had fallen in love with. What I love about rock climbing is that it is a full body sport, so you can keep going even if you have a disability. You just have to solve the problems different ways and look at the climbing wall as a giant puzzle. I have dislocated both my shoulders, rolled my ankles, and have lost a lot of skin on the rocks, but that is far better than not being able to climb at all, or stand up, or tie my own shoelaces. It is so nice to still be able to do sports today that I was told I would never be able to do again. It is pretty analogous to life, don't ya think? 

The Ugly:

I was told I would never even go back to school, nonetheless be up on a climbing wall! For anyone that is feeling down because they have disabilities, disorders, STDs, whatever your deal is, just know that the only person stopping you from reaching greatness is yourself. Life goes on. It gets better. It might suck at times and it seems so unfair, but we all get dealt cards and we can either let our hand ruin us or we can learn to live with it.

Since my "diagnosis", I have gotten a bachelor's degree in psychology with a minor in music and anthropology, I've worked as a mentor for at-risk youth, I've been a teacher in South Korea, I've backpacked and worked in Australia, I get to go skiing with my friends, rock climbing every week, I've had heart aches and heart breaks, I have gone skydiving, and everyday I get to find myself just a little bit more.  

I used to hate myself, but I love myself now ❤ Being active is a way that I live life to the fullest and playing music is a way I can express myself. Yes, I still am obsessed with technology haha *nerd*. I've been alive 7 years now based on my memory and it has been hard. My life is like a Lord of the Rings book turned into a movie. Sure, they got the main chapters, but a lot of stuff was missing in the movies! 

When life gives you lemonade, you make margaritas. Keep your heads up, you're not alone. We all have shit going on and no one talks about it so we truly do feel alone. If you ever wanna talk, feel free to reach out to me. I am FAR from perfect, but I choose life and helping steer others in the path is truly a drive.

So what is the ugly? It is the ugly truth. I know we haven't met yet but I'm glad you woke up today. Follow me on this journey together and remember that you matter! I'll be keeping updated on this website for all the good, the bad, and the ugly truths out there, as well as my life.