Michael Ives wanted to be a drummer in a rock band, but that dream was crushed when his arms got caught in a paper baling machine when he was just 16 years old.

Doctors wanted to amputate both arms, but his father begged them not to. Not knowing where to turn, in physical pain and mental anguish, Michael set out on a long, slow path toward recovery.

Against the advice of doctors, he began to exercise his shattered arms and slowly put the pieces of his life together — pieces that led him to a life he never expected.

What he ended up achieving is truly inspirational, and what he learned along the way is well worth remembering.