Four years ago I became extremely ill and paralyzed from the waist down. My left arm and hand were also immobile. At the time I was very worried about my future because the night I became ill I was doing a fundraiser to go to Thailand for a month, I also had plans to graduate from high school a year early.
I was in the hospital for about a month when the Doctors told me never to expect to walk again! This totally devastated me.
I would avoid going out in public at all times because I had a high anxiety that people were staring, my friends never really invited me to go with them anywhere because they didn't know how to deal with a person in a wheel chair, and I would never go to their homes because I was worried I would have to face the situation that their homes were more then likely not handicap accessible. I was also struggling with the fact that I was no longer independent, that I had to rely on my family to help me do simple activities.
Dealing with all these new emotions were starting to take over my life I was no longer myself I was letting the wheel chair define me. I knew that I did not want to live like this, so I made up my mind and I told God that I was going to allow him to use my life walking or in a wheelchair!
So this is how I started to cope, everyday I would only allow myself to grieve the loss of my legs for no more then half an hour, it is normal to become depressed but I found that if you are constantly down and sad that it can easily consume your life.
Well, I started going to physical therapy regardless the Doctors telling me I was never going to walk again, I went to physical therapy for three years and after spending two years in a wheelchair I proved the doctors wrong and I am now walking.
Well, even though I am walking now I still struggle daily with the illness that caused my paralysis, and I am always ending up in the hospital.
But I always have to remember not to let my illness define me.
I did graduate high school early like I wanted to and I now attend the university of New Mexico to persue a career as a flight paramedic, and I will be going to Thailand sometime within the next year.
I know how hard times can get but let me encourage you to not let go of the goals you had for life before you became ill, and always remember when you ask yourself the question "why do I have to be different from others?" Just remind yourself "why do you have to be like others?"