The Gift of Fire: How I Made Adversity Work for Me

139 Pages·2010·2 MB·English

by  Dan Caro

Also by Dan Caro
“NO-HAND” DAN COMPILATION, VOLUME 1
(CD; available at: www.dancaro.com)
Other Hay House Books with Steve Erwin LED BY FAITH:
Rising from the Ashes of the Rwandan Genocide,
by Immaculée Ilibagiza, with Steve Erwin LEFT TO TELL:
Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust,
by Immaculée Ilibagiza, with Steve Erwin OUR LADY OF KIBEHO:
Mary Speaks to the World from the Heart of Africa,
by Immaculée Ilibagiza, with Steve Erwin
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Copyright © 2010 by Dan Caro
Published and distributed in the United States by: Hay House, Inc.: www.hayhouse.com • Published and
distributed in Australia by: Hay House Australia Pty. Ltd.: www.hayhouse.com.au • Published and
distributed in the United Kingdom by: Hay House UK, Ltd.: www.hayhouse.co.uk • Published and
distributed in the Republic of South Africa by: Hay House SA (Pty), Ltd.: www.hayhouse.co.za •
Distributed in Canada by: Raincoast: www.raincoast.com • Published in India by: Hay House Publishers
India: www.hayhouse.co.in
Editorial supervision: Jill Kramer • Project editor: Shannon Littrell Design: Riann Bender • Interior
photos: Courtesy of the author, unless otherwise noted Certain names have been changed to protect
individuals’ privacy.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any
mechanical, photographic, or electronic process, or in the form of a
phonographic recording; nor may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted,
or otherwise be copied for public or private use— other than for “fair use” as
brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews—without prior written
permission of the publisher.
The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use
of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical
problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The
intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in
your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the
information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the
author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Caro, Dan.
The gift of fire : how I made adversity work for me / Dan Caro with Steve
Erwin. -- 1st ed.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-1-40192660-1 (hardcover) 1. Caro, Dan, 1979-2. Burns and scalds-
-Patients--Louisiana--New Orleans Region--Biography. 3. Burns and scalds--
Patients--Rehabilitation. 4. Jazz musicians--Louisiana--New Orleans Region--
Biography. 5. Drummers (Musicians)--Louisiana--New Orleans--Biography. 6.
New Orleans Region (La.)--Biography. I. Erwin, Steve. II. Title.
RD96.4.C373 2010
617.1’1092--dc22
[B]
2009049490
ISBN: 978-1-40192660-1
13 12 11 10 4 3 2 1
1st edition, March 2010
Printed in the United States of America
For my parents, John and Marilyn—
the strongest souls I’ve ever known.
Contents
Foreword by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
Chapter 1: Birth, Death, and Rebirth
Chapter 2: Out of the Ashes
Chapter 3: A New Thumb, and New Challenges
Chapter 4: Making Miracles
Chapter 5: The Gift of Music
Chapter 6: Navigating the High-School Waters
Chapter 7: Finding My Own Way
Chapter 8: Higher Learning
Chapter 9: In the Spirit
Chapter 10: Living the Dream
Chapter 11: The Winds of Change
Chapter 12: Synchronicity
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
Foreword
You are about to read a book that will forever change your concept of the
word impossible.
Dan Caro’s story will introduce you to a whole new way of looking at the
power of the human spirit. Somewhere within the soul of this young man, there
exists a kind of magical vision that has allowed him to overcome the most
challenging and difficult set of circumstances and emerge as a role model for all
of us. This inner vision not only made a survivor out of Dan, but it has given him
the ability to live his life at a level that most people—especially those who have
never been confronted by such challenges—couldn’t even imagine for
themselves.
When I first heard about all that Dan had been through, I was deeply and
profoundly moved by his unwillingness to make excuses for anything in his life
… and God knows he certainly would have been forgiven had he not made that
choice. Had Dan just given up after being terribly burned as a two-year-old,
everyone would have understood and explained it away as the natural result of a
horrifying accident. But in some mysterious way, he simply refused to travel that
road. Instead, he calls what happened to him his “gift of fire,” and he has made
his life an example for all of us to admire and attempt to emulate.
I met Dan as I was making preparations for a national PBS special based on
my book Excuses Begone! I immediately asked him to come on board with me
and provide a firsthand, live example of someone overcoming enormous
adversity sans any and all excuse making. Dan rocked the audience and
absolutely blew me away, giving a stirring performance of how to be a world-
class drummer without the benefit of hands.
Dan is one of the most inspirational people I have ever had the privilege of
meeting. I love his message, and I love the man even more. I know that his story
will not only fill you with admiration for his truly remarkable achievements over
the past 28 years, but it will also help you realize the truth in the old maxim: