May 5, 2016
At age 14, Derrick Tennant, was pursuing his dream for acareer in sports when one evening in 1985 he laid down and didnot wake up for three days.
He had undergone whatdoctors would later term “random bleeding from point ‘x’ for anunknown reason”. Paralyzed and in a coma, Derrick underwentbrain surgery from which he became unable to move the left side ofhis body. It would take years of therapy to re-learn the basicslike walking, talking and simple daily tasks. Derrick is stillunable to use his left arm and he walks with a limp, but he haslearned a lot through this process.
Derrick Tennant creditsone thing for his ability to make it through this process not onlyalive, but also learning and growing: LOVE. Receivinglove from his family, his friends, and his God combined withlearning to better demonstrate love in the midst of difficulty wereessential to Derrick’s survival.
- We cover a lot in this interview, including ...
- When and why he moved to Atlanta
- Having a headache that turned into a coma and then brainsurgery
- Being 14 and in a wheelchair
- Dealing with "looks, discrimination, strange treatment" aftercoma
- Riding an "invalid coach" and then playing for one in thePhilippines
- How humor has helped him get through the tough times
- Hosting talent shows in college
- Running the REV'D UpComedy Jam
- Developing new comedians
- Derrick's sister JULIE who is also insipiring
- Creating a two new DVD's before end of the year
and much, much more!
This podcast is a production of The Rik Roberts School OfLaughs. Visit SchoolOfLaughs.com for more information.