Farmer Dances In Barn to Sia’s ‘Cheap Thrills’
A farmer dances in barn and his Facebook video of it went crazy with more than 7 million views. But there’s more to Jay Lavery’s story than just some sweet dance moves and some adorable goats.
Jay had a secret kept from even those who knew him. He suffered a traumatic back injury 15 years ago that left him in constant pain, even after multiple surgeries.
I hope this can inspire anyone to move in spite of pain. . .
Jay wrote on his Facebook,
“It’s that time of the year for the Lets Move Challenge.
Dancing is how I stay warm in the barn and I never know when I’m going to break out into a dance.
But what most people don’t know is that 15 years ago I had a traumatic back injury that caused me to have several back surgeries including a discectomy and a spinal fusion and never ending back pain.
Dancing along with yoga and meditation are my only alternatives to pain medication.
So I hope this can inspire anyone to move in spite of pain and I hope this puts a smile on your face for the New Year.”
And others are finding Jay’s dance inspirational, and have reached out to him for advice. While farmer Jay is obviously reluctant to give medical advice, he did share an inspirational message with another woman who was suffering with back pain.
“I’m always afraid to give advice because what worked for me might not work for you. But I can tell you that I was right where you are now. I never had a major depression or panic attacks until after my fusion when I needed help doing the simplest things like getting out of bed. I even needed help getting dressed. Those were very hard days.” he shared.
Jay continued, “I hated being in that place and I wished and prayed that I could just go back to the person I was. But of course that didn’t happen and like you my life would never be the same. I can stand here now 10 years after that horrible experience of getting a spinal fusion and tell you I am so grateful. If it weren’t for that negative event I would probably still be doing the same things. . . and never becoming the person I am today.”
“But because I was forced to change my direction . . .this new world opened up for me. . . Long story short: This person who barely graduated from high school, at the age of 38 graduated from Columbia University,” Jay explained.
“So right now just know that we are all holding your hand, standing with you and taking those baby steps at the same time. Let the people around you help you to just take one day at a time and soon you will be able to look back as I have and see what incredible things happened to your life because of this negative event. Sometimes ‘We walk by faith and not by sight…'” he concluded.
What a powerful story of positivity! Jay is truly inspiring others.
Keep on inspiring others, and keep on dancing, Jay!
