Since the age of 14, William dreamed of becoming a Combat Naval Fighter Pilot. He was inspired by his parents, his father a Naval Officer and his mother a Naval Nurse.
After graduating from Annapolis Naval Academy, William went into the Naval Aviation program followed by fleet squadron. William did two tours in the Middle East for Operation Enduring Freedom. He then went to California to be a Top Gun instructor.
While driving to work, his car was hit by a drug addict who was traveling 100 miles per hour evading the police. William woke up two months later in the Jefferson Medical Hospital in Philadelphia having sustained a broken neck. William is very grateful to his mother who his primary caregiver.
In 2016, William was implanted with the Avery Diaphragm Pacemaker. William states “I want to say more about the sense of security that the pacemaker supplies. Before my surgery, there was a very real sense of having two minutes to live should my ventilator become disconnected. Now, with the Avery Diaphragmatic Pacemaker turned on and my diaphragm active, I can relax a little bit knowing that I am able to breathe without having a tube connected.”
Source: ABD-PP-027, Rev B 12/2020
