(WTNH) — “Survive and thrive.” That is what former UConn basketball walk-on Steve Emt did in the face of adversity.

Emt was a three-sport star at RHAM High School in Hebron. An automobile accident left him paralyzed in 1995.

Eventually, he would spend 17 years trying other adaptive sports before a chance meeting with a curling coach in Cape Cod. Not only did Emt fall in love with curling, he is really good at it.

“You can’t master it, you can’t beat it. That carrot of perfection is always dangling in front of you,” Emt said.

Emt is preparing to compete in the upcoming Paralympics in Beijing. He also competed in 2018 and is a seven-time national champion.

How did he get here, especially when he contemplated taking his life?

“So for two straight days, I had to lay in bed. Two straight days. I could not get up to do anything, and that’s when I hit rock bottom. Those two days were the darkest days of my life,” Emt said. “I finally accepted it after six weeks what I had done. I broke the law, I was a drunk driver. I need to move on.”

In addition to becoming a two-time Paralympian, he has coached, taught, is a motivational speaker and an author. He has done much more than just survive.