I Dream of Things That Never Were, The Ken Kunken Story “I Dream of Things That Never Were” describes Ken Kunken’s journey from the lowest point in his life after a serious football injury to the pinnacle of happiness and success. When Ken breaks his neck playing football in October 1970, he becomes a quadriplegic with no movement below his shoulders. He is only twenty years old. All his hopes and dreams of leading a useful, productive, rewarding, and happy life are shattered. His very survival is in question. Ken’s book describes his accident and details the intensive and rigorous rehabilitation that followed. It also chronicles the challenges of dealing with medical personnel who can only envision Ken selling magazine subscriptions over the telephone someday. Eleven days after being discharged from the hospital, Ken resumes his studies in industrial engineering on the Cornell campus in upstate Ithaca, New York. Ken is entirely dependent on others to do for him all the things he can no longer do for himself: dress, bathe, feed himself, get into and out of his wheelchair, take care of his bodily functions, and so much more. Wheelchair-bound, on Ken’s first day of classes, he has to be either pulled up or bounced down close to 100 steps, just to attend two lectures. Despite the architectural barriers and everyone’s limited expectations, Ken completes his undergraduate studies and then earns two Masters degrees. Ken’s book shows how family and friends made it possible for him to persevere. Having earned three Ivy League degrees, Ken sends out more than 200 résumés but gets no job offers. After a year, he secures employment as a vocational and rehabilitation counselor at a company on Long Island providing placement counseling to other severely disabled individuals. Believing he can accomplish even more, Ken leaves his job to attend Hofstra University’s School of Law. Following graduation, Ken goes to work as an assistant district attorney in Nassau County, Long Island. On Ken’s first day in court, he faces an unexpected problem: his wheelchair won’t fit through the swinging doors in the courtroom to get to the prosecutor’s table. Ken has to deal with more than just physical barriers. One of Ken’s supervisors’ questions why Ken was even hired, because, as he put it: “He can’t even write.” Despite the early misgivings, Ken has a long and successful career with the District Attorney’s Office where he eventually becomes a Deputy Bureau Chief in the Nassau County Court Trial Bureau. While every young man faces challenges trying to find that “special someone” to spend his life with, it’s especially daunting for a person almost totally paralyzed. Ken shares the excitement and fears of his first date – and subsequent romances. Because he is a quadriplegic, though, he completely dismisses the possibility of marriage and fatherhood. Then Ken meets Anna and his feelings about marriage changes. As far as Ken is concerned, Anna is the perfect woman: smart, beautiful – a wonderful companion, and yet, different from Ken in so many ways: Anna is nineteen years younger than Ken; she is Catholic, he is Jewish; Anna was born and raised in Poland, while Ken has spent his entire life in New York; she is a vegetarian and he loves to eat meat; Anna is strong and physically active, Ken is confined to a wheelchair. Anna convinces Ken that they should try to have their own biological child. This seems impossible to Ken because he has been paralyzed for more than thirty years and is already in his fifties. Through the miracle of science, however, Anna becomes pregnant with triplets. Ken writes joyfully about his incredible family changed his outlook on life. “I Dream of Things That Never Were” is the compelling story of how a devastating event turned into an incredible and happy life -- a journey that is both eye-opening and heartwarming. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
