Finding Inspiration

Recovering from a spinal cord injury is not a cakewalk, especially if you are not 100% sure you will be able to walk again.  Not to mention all the other adjustments you have to make to all the other body functions that have been affected by the damage.

There are many days when frustration set in.  The key, I believe, is to not let these frustrations get in your way.

  I pulled inspiration from many different sources: family and friends, hospital staff, entertainment, in the form of songs, movies, books, and stories of strangers who have overcome obstacles.

Over the next several days or weeks, maybe, the bulk of my posts for the rest of this month and into the next, I plan to write posts of how I used some of these sources to inspire me.  One thing to consider is that some of the examples of inspiration fall into multiple categories of sources. For instance, I will write about Social Media, and about finding inspirational stories on the internet, but some examples can fit into both categories.

On of the greatest benefit of being inspired is motivation.  It spurs you into action to better yourself



  

Does Suffering a Spinal Cord Injury Automatically make You Brave?

"Spinal Cord Injury" can be replaced with any sort of traumatic event or obstacle, but since this is a blog about spinal cord recovery....

When we hear about people who have suffered an injury to the spinal cord and have either recovered well, or adapted well to their situation, many times, we refer to them as inspirational or brave.

Recently, there was one TEDTalk, which argued that it was wrong to automatically classify people who live with disabilities as inspirational - because we are just living our own lives as anyone else would given the same circumstances.  There is really nothing extraordinary in that.

I see the point, but I disagree.  When people come up to me and tell me I am inspirational for going through what I went through (and still deal with some of the things I deal with), I am happy.  Although I am not inspirational for the sake of others - I am only trying to live my life as easy as I can live it - if it benefits someone else, so be it, who am I to complain.  During my own recovery, I took how other people tackled their obstacles,  regardless of origin, and used them as inspiration.  For instance, I saw a video clip of a young man who was abandoned and homeless in South Korea from age 5 - 15.  Was he being homeless on purpose so he could be inspirational to others?  I think not.  But when he became a contestant on some national talent show, he was able to share his story, and really, by default, inspired people, including me.

I believe its both the same and not the same with bravery.  Sometimes people say I am brave for going through what I went through.

In the sense that I dealt with the hand dealt to me without giving up, some could define that I was brave. And if others want to see me as brave, that's fine with me - especially if they can find inspiration and motivation from that.  Just like I am not being inspirational for the sake of others, I am not being brave for the sake of others.  I am just trying to make life easier on myself. Although I think determined is a better word than brave for not giving up.

But then again, when you are in the ICU, and mentally, you are determined to get better again, I think it is brave to face what is ahead of you instead of giving up.

But being brave is also different from being inspirational because to me, inspiration doesn't have to involve risk.  I think being brave often does.  I didn't risk anything by dealing with the spinal cord injury. I fought it the best I could, but I had to - I really didn't see a choice.  I believe, many times, bravery is risking something you don't have to give up.  It is a fireman saving someone from a burning fire.  It is a lifeguard saving a swimmer in distress.  It doesn't have to a professional - it could be a regular Joe saving someone, but they are risking their lives voluntarily to save someone else.

There is a Winnie the Pooh - Christopher Robbins cartoon which I posted earlier that implies we are stronger and braver than we think we are.  I think that's true.

So, bottom line - I think those of us who have experienced spinal cord injury and have recovered or adapted are inspirational.  It does take a lot of hard work to do both.  While we do it for the sake of ourselves, and not for others, there is a residual effect it has on others, and that is inspiration.

Are we brave just because we suffered spinal cord damage and live with it?  Yes and no.  I think in the beginning we are brave.  We can just give up, but we don't, and there is an element of braveness in that.  However, once we adapt and live our "new normal" lives, while we can still be inspirational, I don't think we are brave anymore.



 

Christopher Robin to Winnie the Pooh

More doc appts this week, so I might not have time to post until Monday, but in the meanntime, I wanted to share the cartoon below.

Got this image from a Facebook post by Life After Spinal Cord Injury - They have a fantastic facebook page with lots of great info and inspiration for people with SCI.

I tried to provide a link to this particular posting, but he link went to the entire photo album, and then I couldn't find the post on their timeline.  So, that said, here is the link to their FB page.

 Life After Spinal Cord Injury

Video from Children's Hospital Colorado - Parody Music Video

A friend of mine from college posted this video from Youtube.  It is the staff and patients at Children's Hospital Colorado singing, "Let it Go," from the movie, Frozen.

I tried sharing this on Facebook, but for some reason, the "share" would not go through, but since I export most of my blogposts to Twitter and Facebook, I thought it would be appropriate to share the video here, especially since it deals with recovery.

You don't have to be a Broncos fan to be touched by this video.  I found it very very heartwarming.

Children's Hospital Colorado Music Video - Parody of "Let it Go" 

Toe Up to 10K: A Journey of Recovery from Spinal Cord Injury - eBook on Sale Now

My book chronicling my recovery from spinal cord injury is available on Amazon, now. And gradually will be available to more and more ebook retailers in the coming weeks.

Here is the trailer for the book. I used the online software at Stupeflix.com.  A big Thank You to @Ellisshuman for introducing me to this site.

Toe Up to 10K


eBook available now on Amazon, and will make it into other eBook retailers one by one in the coming weeks.

Here is the link to the book's page on Amazon:  Toe Up to 10K at Amazon

Working on Endurance

About six weeks ago, I was able to jog about 2 miles - of course, I probably could have walked it faster, but at least I maintained form.

Late last week, I tried again, but this time, at a faster pace.  A more normal pace, which I did achieve because I was able to pass up some people who were walking along the path.  I was able to keep my balance better; there was only a couple of times when I felt awkward and readied myself for a potential fall (I didn't). However, I could only jog about 14 blocks, and I had to stop.  

But, I feel happy because it wasn't lack of strength that stopped me, nor lack of jogging speed.  It is endurance, and that is something I need to build up.  Being able to sprint is another issue, but I feel that will one day be resolved as well. 

Health Seen As a Bell Curve

A lot of times, I try and define my recovery.  Sometimes I say I am 90% recovered,  sometimes I say I have replaced my old body with a different model.

Here's another way I think about all this.

If people's health is looked at as a bell curve, with those on the left being severely unhealthy or disabled, and those on the right being extremely healthy or able-bodied, most of us fall inside the bell portion of the bell curve.

In this respect, my current physical wellness would put me well inside the bell portion.  It's just that before I injured my spinal cord, I would have been on the right side of the bell, and now I am on the left, but I continue to recover, and move towards the right.

So, I can say I have recovered to a level of normality - but it is on the side of the bell curve which most of the occupants need to make some adjustments to deal with some of the issues we experience.