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Every
moment of every day is worth living...as long as you have the power of
choice. Never forget that.
I'm
not talking about whether or not you chose to become paralyzed. I'm
talking about having the ability to choose how you are going to deal with
the fact that you now have a spinal cord injury. If you are reading this,
you have that choice.
I
won't begin to pretend that I know what you are thinking. Although I have
been through a spinal cord injury myself, and we may have experienced
similar medical treatment, how our injuries have affected our lives may be
quite different.
A
spinal cord injury can seem overwhelming, especially in the first few
weeks. The first day I woke up and realized that I couldn't move, I nearly
went insane. I spent so much energy denying what was happening to me, and
then being angry at people for not understanding what I was going through,
that I stopped doing what was best for me while I threw one major pity
party for myself.
But
what the heck! I couldn't move, go to the bathroom by myself or blow my
own nose! Those are things that are not easy to adjust to.
But
I did adjust. You can, too.
Thousands
of people sustain spinal cord injuries each year. That doesn't make it
easier to take for you, I'm sure. It's not meant to. I only mention it
because it does help to realize that you are not alone.
Adjusting
to the new lifestyle a spinal cord injury brings is hard work, physically,
emotionally and spiritually. People tend to underestimate you, feel sorry
for you or have preconceived ideas about who you are after injury. It's up
to you to set them straight. It's up to you to set yourself
straight about these things, as well.
Don't
underestimate what you are capable of, ever. From this point on, you can
accomplish whatever you set your mind on to do. No, it's not fair that you
have to go through what you are going through. The fact of the matter
is...you are going through it. The sooner you come to terms
with that, the sooner you can move on to start building the life you want
to live.
Stay
strong!
Be
happy!
Contact
me if you need someone to talk to.
Kris
Ann
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