PLYMOUTH – In 2001, Josh Kampe had his life all planned out. After studying criminal justice at DCMO Boces and participating in the New Visions Program for Criminal Justice, Kampe planned to continue his studies in that area and go into law enforcement. All of that changed, shortly after he graduated from Otselic Valley High School.

In July of 2001, Kampe was involved in a single car accident that left him severely injured and put all of his plans on hold, but through hard work and perseverance, the 26-year-old is continuing along the path he originally chose.

Only a month after graduating from high school, Kampe had to be airlifted from the scene of the accident to Wilson Regional Medical Center. His accident put him in a coma for 17 days and left him with a broken back and traumatic brain injuries. “They didn’t expect me to live,” he said. When he came out of the coma, his left side was paralyzed, and he was unable to walk on his own. For 77 days, Kampe remained in the hospital, during which time, more than one third of his brain had to be removed. “I had to have a lobotomy. I’ve gone through it all,” Kampe said.

While Kampe was confined to his wheel chair for more than a year and a half, he didn’t let his condition stop him from living his life. In 2003, he decided to start taking college classes. He explained that the process was difficult at first. “I took one course at a time, but I had a lot of difficulties remembering what I read,” he said. With the help of his mother, who would read from his text books as he completed assignments, Kampe was able to complete the course, and several others. In 2004, he made the Dean’s List, and last week, after completing 72 credits, Kampe graduated from Herkimer County Community College with his Associates Degree in Criminal Justice.

While he has reached a major milestone, he doesn’t plan on stopping there. Already, he has started taking additional courses toward completing his Bachelors Degree. “Since I started taking classes, my goal was to do whatever I was able to do, and my physical abilities have increased exponentially since then,” Kampe said.