Dr. B.J. Miller on Losing 3 Limbs in an Accident: I Never Had a "Why Me?" Moment

B.J. Miller was a sophomore at Princeton University when he suffered a devastating electrical shock after climbing on top of a stationary commuter train during a night out with friends. The near-fatal accident left him severely burned, and half of his left arm and both of his legs below the knee had to be amputated. Yet, despite his traumatic experience, he says, he never had a "why me?" moment—something he credits to his mother.

"I grew up with a mother who's disabled," he says. "She had polio, and she has post-polio syndrome, so a real progressive illness, where she's progressively disabled. And so, much of my childhood was spent with her navigating the planet from a wheelchair. And I was so very, in my bones, sensitized to disability as an idea, as a construct, as a concept. And I just knew it happened to good people. So, there was no part of me that was surprised that this had happened to me."

Here, Dr. Miller describes the horrific accident and waking up in the burn unit afterward. Plus, he opens up about why he feels "fortunate" to have survived without feelings of self-pity.