How a guy in a wheelchair went from never dating to several dates per week

Yep, you read that right.

Guy in a wheelchair.

Going on dates.

Multiple times per week.

And I’m spilling my secrets.

If you’ll allow me to brag for a moment, here are the highlights of my social and dating life for the past three years:

I am closer to my family than ever before, and I no longer feel bad for being the single guy at family reunions

I make lifelong friends in minutes vs. years

I spend weekends with people I genuinely care about, instead of being a workaholic

I have rolled up in my wheelchair and started a conversation with at least 500 women who were total strangers

I no longer hesitate to get a woman’s phone number , and I’ve done it in nearly every venue — bars, clubs, and online dating for sure, but also at work, the gym, malls, grocery stores, my hair salon, my apartment building, my mosque, an airplane, and even a dentist’s chair

, and I’ve done it in nearly every venue — bars, clubs, and online dating for sure, but also at work, the gym, malls, grocery stores, my hair salon, my apartment building, my mosque, an airplane, and even a dentist’s chair I have been “rejected” (i.e. not gotten the number) so many times that I just find it amusing

I once got a girl’s number and then accidentally rolled over her foot with my 250lb wheelchair . Oops ☺

. Oops ☺ I have been on at least 30 first dates. At times, I have lined up 3–4 dates in the same week

At times, I have lined up I totally botched the kiss on a recent first date. There was no second date, but she loved our conversation so much that she gave me a kissing lesson

I have lived out some of my greatest fantasies (hint: shower scenes)

I have been in 2 exclusive relationships

I have been passionately & mutually in love, once

But my life wasn’t always this way — in fact, when I graduated college three years ago, I had a whopping tally of zero dates. For my entire life.

My previous life — the backstory

Me, on a Vegas trip, not happy to be pictured

Growing up, I was usually at the top of my class academically, and at the bottom socially. I thought college would be my Great Turnaround. I mean, come on, I was going to an Ivy League University! I was going to be surrounded by people just like me, so I would definitely have tons of friends, finally kiss a girl, and even get a girlfriend. I couldn’t wait!

Sadly, things weren’t all that different. Well, one thing was: I was no longer at the top of my class academically. My social life remained uninspiring. College has tons of social opportunity, but I didn’t know how to form the deep, meaningful relationships that I desired. I had great relationships with a handful of folks in my major, but we didn’t get together on Thursday nights after a long week, or share our dreams and aspirations, or plan spring break together.

And forget dating, I could hardly hold a non-academic conversation with a girl I was attracted to. I definitely hadn’t kissed a girl, and I had no idea if I was even able to have sex. I never had condoms in my room—what’s the point, I thought…I wouldn’t be needing one any time soon.

Not only did I have no experience with women, but I also had the dreaded “one-itis”. I was fixated on this one girl; she was the one. Unsurprisingly, she wasn’t interested, but I failed to take the hint, making her incredibly uncomfortable. Better yet, I had no idea she was dating the guy I consulted for advice. Talk about a facepalm!