Franz Wall (’16) Shares Journey of Faith and Resilience

“My suffering is visible to anyone who meets me, but pain wears many faces,” says Franz Wall (’16), survivor of a life-altering accident, in the introduction to his new memoir, Pushing Through the Pain. “My hope in writing this book is to speak to all who hurt — not with advice too narrowly shaped by my own experience, but with reflections broad enough to meet anyone, anywhere in their journey.”

After graduating from the College in 2016, Mr. Wall enrolled in the University of Pacific’s Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry through the Navy Health Professional Scholarship Program. But his lifelong dream of becoming a dentist was soon dashed when, in November 2020, he suffered a severe skiing accident which left him paralyzed from the chest down, with multiple broken bones and no motor function in his hands. His life became a perpetual trial, with every day spent struggling to heal both physically and emotionally as he faced a steep uphill battle to recovery.

Pushing Through the Pain documents Mr. Wall’s journey of adapting to his “new normal.” He begins with his life before the accident, then details the many highs and lows he faced in the months and years following, from the devastation about legs and hands he could no longer move, to the determination to rebuild strength and mobility, to the exhaustion from multiple surgeries and sicknesses, to the elation of finally returning home to his family after seven months in hospitals and rehab centers.

Though many days were dark, filled with intense pain and emotional turmoil, Mr. Wall never wavered from his faith, finding consolation in surrendering himself to God, as well as the love and prayers of his friends and family — especially his mother, Christy (Tittmann ’89). Throughout the book, he tells his story with clear prose, wit, and spiritual reflection, as he lays out his tale of perseverance and finding goodness through suffering.

“This is not only a story about enduring suffering, but about letting it transform you,” Mr. Wall writes. “Each push forward, no matter how small, is not just about reaching your own finish line — it is part of something bigger. The act of persevering through pain, when united with Christ, carries eternal weight. It shapes your soul for heaven and can touch the lives — even the eternal destinies — of others, in ways you may never see this side of eternity.”