, 
, 
, 
Reactions to life events can often be motivating or devastating, depending on one’s mindset.
Parker Hanson, 24, chooses to rise above adversity and embrace the life he was given.
“God doesn’t want you to look back in your life,” he said. “He wants you to look forward to tomorrow.”
Hanson, a former Augustana University baseball standout and Sioux Falls Canaries player, spoke at the inaugural Rock the Edge prayer breakfast Wednesday morning, Sept. 1, at Grand Prairie Events in Luverne.
Hanson encouraged the 100 students, parents and community members to “Rise Above Adversity: There’s No Excuses in Life,” to set the tone for the upcoming school year.
The Hawley, Minnesota, native was born without a left hand, yet he excelled at sports, rose to be a top pitcher in high school and college, and fulfilled his childhood dream of playing professional baseball.
However, he said the achievements were “fake happiness,” while inside he was dealing with his parents’ divorce, his step-dad’s cancer and years of ridicule he experienced for his physical deformity.
The pressure built through Hanson’s late teens. After Tommy John surgery on his right pitching arm, he was kicked off the baseball team and his step-father died. The lack of purpose and the depression led Hanson to start binge drinking as a college freshman.
“This is where I hit rock bottom,” Hanson said.
The turning point came when a friend invited him to church on Sunday. Hanson said he regularly attended services as a youth, but when the pastor talked about suicide, the message hit home.
He heard about the importance of mental health and the downfall of negative thoughts, and he found more meaning in life by moving forward with God’s help.
Hanson realized his negative thoughts were his worst enemy.
Among his most ardent supporters is his mother, Barb Hanson. “My mom says, ‘Your only disability is a bad attitude,’” he said.
The self-realization led Hanson to share his experience, and he found others who shared the same obstacles in life and needed to combat negative thoughts.
Hanson shared six tips to rise above adversity: Be yourself, trust in God, look forward not backward, build a positive mindset, accept failure, and (his favorite) always lend a helping hand .
He uses his missing hand as an illustration to go forward.
“If I can make one person smile — make one person’s day — I had a good day,” he said.
Hanson closed out his message by sharing that he spent one week as a professional baseball player. Doctors said the pain in his right arm could be relieved through another surgery.
He’s declined, instead opting to leave professional baseball behind and move forward.
“I want to be able to hold my (future) children,” he said.