Begley

Am I speaking about death here? No, Im discussing life after a spinal cord injury. As I did why did I phrase the subject with this report? Because for many individuals who suffer a cord injury, their first thoughts after being informed of paralysis, or wheelchairs, or a spinal cord, inducing the patient to prevent be able to go again, is definitely death. Why did I even live?

I know that was among my earliest ideas after I was able to determine what was going on. Once consciousness was regained by me from my three days of coma, by awakening to a breathing tube being drawn from my neck, I was recommended that I'd an accident.

Probably a hours later, its hard to remember exactly, I began to recognize the great stress in the doctors face and voice as he conveyed to me about how precisely my spine was broken in three areas and the navicular bone had cut my spinal-cord, and consequently I'd never have the ability to walk again. Maybe it had been at that time that I first wished myself dead.

Now its twenty-two years later. Ive had twenty-two years of utilizing a wheelchair for mobility. Ive had twenty-two years of Afterlife. My spinal-cord is still severed. I still have paralysis from chest-level down (T-4 to be correct). I've multiple wheelchairs; a baseball wheelchair, a football wheelchair, a regular wheelchair. Through the years Ive probably had near 10 different wheelchairs. All of the chairs, all of the catheters, all of the baclofen, all of the leg bags and pipes, all of the paralysis paraphernalia as a result of one moment in time of losing control of my car, striking a, tree, and house, taking my spine in three areas and injuring my spinal cord.

Wouldnt it have been better easily just didnt have this kind of after life and experienced the bog ending afterlife instead? Well, I cant answer that without a doubt because I have not been able to compare the 2 hand and hand. But I can tell you if you so choose, even with a spinal cord injury, that you can have a life and a fairly satisfying and satisfying life. patent pending

Michael E. Hylton, TheWheeledWorld.org, June, 2006