Most of my friends here know that I’m in a wheelchair. I’m a quadriplegic, paralyzed from mid-chest down. The difference between a “quad” and a paraplegic is, a “para” has limited or NO voluntary use of 2 limbs, and a “quad” has limited or NO use of all 4 limbs. I have a pretty good outlook on life and what I have and am able to do, BUT Once in a while I see something that really makes me pause and take a step back and realize just how lucky I really am. I came across a video this morning about people with disabilities advocating for “people with disabilities”. One of the 2 people in this video was a full quad, no use, movement or voluntary control of ANYTHING including his breathing from the neck down. In this situation, this man is completely dependent on others to do all of his daily living care and routines. This means, feeding, bathing, dressing, brushing teeth (hold the spit cup for you then wipe your mouth)…scratching an annoying itch on your face! These things barely require a simple thought for most of us to accomplish and most of the time we think nothing of it yet So many of us, even me, take these simple, every day things for granted. If you’ve ever broken your leg or had to spend a week or 2 in a wheelchair, you get an idea of how limited it can make you and you see life a little differently. Try to imagine sitting completely still, not being able to move your arms, hands, fingers, legs, toes for just 5 minutes. 5 FULL minutes. The best way to imagine this is to imagine being in a cement body cast from your toes, to your shoulders. My 26 year anniversary of being in my chair is coming up in August. I’ve had a few hard days but I don’t dwell on the things I can’t still do. I have it pretty good. I can get myself in/out of bed every day, drive myself from A to B, dress myself, have a home and a pretty good life. Sometimes it’s hard to see someone who is completely dependent on others for everything, but the reality of knowing that could’ve been me slaps me in the face and brings me back to where I need to be. We all have bad days, flat tires, computer/cell phone crashed, TV went out or a date fell through, but when you look at it from the other side…Who really gives a shit about those small petty things? Life can be SO much worse than that! When you’re having a bad day, things aren’t going the way you think they should, take a step back and really look at your life. Is it really that bad? I doubt it. If you need a visual to help you…watch this video. A very brief view of life as a full quad. youtube/watch?v=NYnf-bMZQoE
Posted on: Sun, 27 Jul 2014 18:02:50 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015