Rocky Stoutenburgh was just 19-years-old when a fall broke his back and shattered his dreams.
He was wrestling with a group of his friends back in 2006. An innocuous activity, one in which he and his friends were, as he says, “fooling around”. But fate sometimes turns lives upside down and so it was when he landed badly, and wrongly, on his back.
The impact broke his C3 cervical vertebrae. Hundreds of hours of intense and painful physical therapy ensued but Rocky never got his old life back, nor the rest of his body. The fall had paralysed the young man from the neck down.
Speaking to Ulti Asia, American streamer Rocky – better known online as RockyNoHands – said that he did not remember much of his two-month stay in the hospital due to the heavy sedation he was under for the many health issues he faced.
However, his first memory after the accident was “waking up and knowing that (he) wasn’t gonna be able to play hockey anymore, and that (he) wouldn’t be able to go to work on Monday.”
Having ripped away the two biggest parts of his life – playing hockey and working at his grandfather’s auto shop – the mental recovery was just as hard as the physical one.
“After my injury, I didn’t have much to do besides watch TV or stare out a window,” Rocky recalled when speaking with Forbes. “After a while, you’ve just got to figure out what’s next in life.”
Two years after the fall, Rocky’s brother, Andrew Stoutenburgh was scrolling through the internet when he came across the QuadStick – a mouth gaming controller that involves an analog, 3 holes to sip or puff into, a lip trigger and a side tube.
At first, Rocky called it “crazy.” But after some convincing on Andrew’s part, Rocky eventually gave it a go. In an interview with In The Know, Andrew said: “I knew it was going to be tough and rough, but knowing who Rocky is as a person, I always knew that he would find a way to make (the most) out of it.”
Andrew was also the person that pushed Rocky to start streaming. After playing with a lot of other streamers, Andrew felt that if Rocky delved into that realm, he would “go viral.”
In 2020, Rocky entered a reality webshow called “So You Think You Can Stream?”. Like American Idol, the competition was aimed at unearthing new talent, but in the streaming world. He won. And this time, fate turned his life back around again.
The Highs
Playing games like Call of Duty, Fortnite and Apex Legends, Rocky has since amassed 74,200 followers on Twitch, 59,000 subscribers on YouTube, and 493,000 followers on TikTok. He was also the first quadriplegic to sign for a professional esports brand, Luminosity Gaming.
“When I first started posting content and streaming, I didn’t think it would get as big as it did.I didn’t think that many people would come around but it blew up pretty big. I’m definitely grateful for it,” Rocky shared during our exclusive interview.
The numbers do not tell the full story though. He may be popular, but he also has the talent to back it up. Even though he can only use his mouth to play, he is better than most able-bodied gamers.
“Gaming-wise, hitting Masters in Apex (Legends) is probably my proudest achievement. It was something I worked very hard and a lot of months to be able to pull off. As a content creator, my proudest achievement is definitely joining Luminosity (Gaming). I just re-signed for the third year in a row,” Rocky shared.
The quadriplegic might stream on multiple platforms throughout the day, but fans show their support on them all – flipping back and forth and following Rocky on whatever platform he is streaming on.
“I have a pretty good community going on right now. Hopefully, we can keep it going for the next few years,” Rocky said.
The Lows
But as much as he is riding the wave of success, life still throws its punches. Despite the majority of the community he has built being supportive, negativity is still a daily occurrence for the streamer. It is not uncommon for him to be called a “cheater” or someone who is “faking it.” He has even been accused of having someone else play for him and made fun of because of his disability.
He takes it in his stride, seeing it as just a part of the internet he had to overcome.
“I’ve learned to block it out or just tell myself that the person is probably having a worse time in their life at the moment than I am for them to have to come onto my social media and try to hurt my feelings, even though that’s never gonna happen,” he said.
But even through the tough times, Rocky leaned on his friends, family and the supporters he has online. The positive messages he receives, together with the motivational talks and music he enjoys listening to are what keeps him going.
Looking Ahead
Moving forward, Rocky just wants to continue what he is doing right now and “keep grinding.” He added: “I’m building a lot on TikTok Live at the moment and I’m really enjoying that.”
However, he plans on putting greater focus on his real-life goals with his girlfriend and family and just “trying to get a life together there” in the future.
His biggest advice for those struggling – whether with a disability or not – is to not focus on the negatives, even though it can be hard.
“There’s always someone out there that’s got it worse than you. Just take it one step at a time. Get out there. It’s always once you get out and do something, you’ll realise: ‘Wow, this wasn’t as hard or bad to do as I thought.’ Then, do it twice and next thing you know, you’ll be on a roll.”
Do check out Rocky and his daily fragging on his Twitch!
