Tales From A Wheelchair

The Day That Changed My Life

It was Feb. 06, 2014. The plan of the day was a simple one. I was going to go to the bank to cash a check. Then I would fill my truck full of gas. From there I would go to school where I had a meeting for PBL (Phi Beta Lambda) before heading with other classmates to a weekend event for National Technical Honor Society (NTHS).

I was excited to be going. I had been over the moon about it for days. My speech was ready and I was going to have fun meeting new people in NTHS who were from different parts of Georgia coming to this event. So you can image my surprise when I woke up and saw my friends standing over me looking as if they had the weigh of the world on their shoulders.

I went as far as trying to ask why they were in my room and realized I couldn't speak like I use to. My throat felt strange and there was something a little off about my room. A friend of mine name Cole* (Not his real name) was just in my line of sight. "Well, Hey there sleepy head!" he said.

I tried to use my hand to motion for him to move closer but I couldn't move my hands. I started to panic. Why couldn't I move my hands? Cole must have seen a fear in my eyes because he moved down where he could hear me a little better. As if he could read my mind, Cole answered my questions before I could asked them. " You were in a car wreck a week ago. You flipped your truck several times before running into a tree. You have been in a medical coma ever since." Then if it was an unimportant after thought he add the words that word make my word stand still. " You will never use your hands or legs again. You are like Christopher Reeves or Stephan Hawkins."

I closed my eyes and tried to digest it all. For forty years I had zoomed around on m own two feet, I had talked clearly non-stop, and I was always was the first to volunteer if something had to be done. Now I was reduced to a body in the bed who had to have a computer talk for her. I mean I had a great respect for both Christopher Reeves and Stephan Hawkins but I didn't want my life to be the same. I just knew my life was over if this was my fate in life. That day I queitly mourned for the person I use to be in life and I felt lost at the person I had become at the blink of an eye.

I was in the hosptial from Feb of 2014 til the end of April 2014. Then I went to rehab from April until the end of May of 2014. My arms starte working about a few days after I work up. There was some major damage to the nerves in my right arm. Then there was a blood clot they had to make go away. Its still hard to use my right hand because its still healing but it moves better than it use to.I have actually built up a small amount of muscle tone. I still will never walk again but if I am honest with myself, I don't care. I just feel blessed to be alive. I have overcome a few hurdles which I will share as time goes by but the point is that I survived and I am thriving.

I am sure that there are a few that might be thinking. " That will never happen to me." I use to be that way. Now I know that we as humans never know what is around the corner. So live life to the fullest, when you can plan a little so others know what you