Entry 17: #LifecontinuesafterSCI

There are a few things that happen in life which can completely capsize your world. Continuing on from my last entry, which I hope perhaps gave some idea of what I mean when I say "capsize your world", I wanted to show that it is not all doom and gloom. I know that having children can turn your world upside down completely, having observed through a brief window how my friends have taken to parenthood. Life is never the same again. This is true of suffering from an SCI. I deliberately say suffering, although it may sound very "woe is me", because life is not made better by having one – unlike having children which is considered a blessing (most of the time!). However, I recently tweeted about some training I went on with The Backup Trust, and I used the hash tag of 'life continues after SCI.' It got me thinking about the fact that yes, life does continue whether you want to admit it or not, day in day out, life is passing you by. Or as John Lennon said:

I can't believe I am now in my fourth year of having this injury. It's just over three years and one month. And yes, my life has continued. I have continued with my friendships and relationships, spending time with my family going places and doing things with them. Craft fairs, cinema, getting blotto in the pub, shopping, eating out, visiting the seaside and more. Creating more memories that I will treasure in the years to come. I was fortunate to be able to have a puppy that I raised to adolescence… Before having to move him on to a more suitable home. The time I spent with him enabled my confidence to grow, my independence was able to re-emerge, and it's always nice to not be the only one in the household to have 'accidents'.

Moving house, relocating from one city to another takes a hell of a lot of planning, coordination, and teamwork. Making steps towards returning to work. Developing my body strength and stamina.

And that is just me. I wanted to give you guys an idea of the fact that life does continue after an SCI, and for those people who are reading this who are disabled or are in a similar situation as me I want to show what can be done. I've had a good look on YouTube, and I found some clips that I think will astound and impress you, because they certainly did me! We often get so bogged down with what we cannot do, that it can be very hard to realise there are things we are still able to achieve…

(the beginning of this video has quite a bit of chat – it is 10 min long, I would recommend watching it all – just to get a sense of the context, although the reason it's on here is to show the scuba diving wheelchair warrior!)

This is Tiffany Carlson– she is a writer and blogger and is in all sorts of magazines and websites. She is the owner of beautyability.com, and believe me her words of wisdom are well worth listening to!

depending on your ability and rehab, it is possible to get back behind the wheel! It may take a lot of work and strength training and stamina. You may need to pass another test. But at the end of the day the old adage is true – where there is a will there is a way.

and let's not forget Murder Ball a.k.a. wheelchair rugby… Primarily played by quadriplegics. If you can get a chance get hold of the film "Murder Ball" and see how it all started. of course, this is not the only sport you can get into – people in wheelchairs are still able to play more or less just about any other sport, go horseriding, skiing, and swimming. I won't start rattling on about the merits of taking part in exercise and sport for your health both mental and physical… We all know that it's better for you whether you're in a chair or not!

If you are disabled and reading this, I would greatly appreciate any comments (either by e-mail or the comments box below) that can add to the list of achievements and possibilities that are out there for people to realise that yes life does continue after SCI. 
The only limitations are the ones you put on yourself.

PS it's come to my attention that people want to leave comments, but can't due to not being signed up to Google. If you would like to leave a comment, then please e-mail it to me, stating whether it is anonymous or not, at the the address at the very top of the screen – TingleTetra@Gmail.com, and I will add it. :-)

Twitter: @Tingletetra