COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Hunter Treschl is on the go. Yet something as simple as a learning how to drive a car almost did not happen for him.
In June 2016, Treschl was in the waters off the North Carolina coast when he was attacked by a shark. He lost most of his left arm in the attack.
"You immediately knew you were in trouble?” asked Denver7 reporter Marc Stewart. “Yeah I knew what had happened," he said.
During his hospital stay, Hunter made a quick and deliberate decision about how he was going to live his life moving forward.
"I kind of realized pretty quickly, there's no use in me just moping and complaining. Because it's not going to bring back my arm," he said. "So I might as well just try to do the things that I want to do the best of my ability."
That includes driving with a special grip on the steering wheel. He's also a mountain climber and soon he will apply to college.
Hunter also had a prosthetic arm., but isn't using it. He says it got in the way. Another decision he made on his road to the future.
"Most if not all amputees I've talked to have similar experiences, they've kind of been down for a while and they've realized they can still live life to its fullest and they can still live the life they want to live," said Treschl.
Hunter is also an advocate.
He's helping to launch “Project Reach” through the Limb Preservation Foundation.
The online resource is geared toward other amputees so they can hear real life stories such as Hunter's.
The goal is to help them thrive during adversity.
“This person has had the same experience as me, this is what they're doing this is how they did it," said Hunter.