The Alan T. Brown Foundation shares blog entries from clients at different stages in their life post spinal cord injury.
One man shares his thoughts on living with a spinal cord injury for thirty-three years. He states that life is all about keeping things in perspective. He states he has experienced many highs and lows in life post injury but he has developed a keen awareness of what matters most in life.
“Living with a disability can be challenging — nobody who has a disability would doubt that. But I thrive on stressing to people who are not disabled that it is possible to lead productive lives in spite of that.”
He gives credit to his family and friends for getting him through challenging periods in his life. “It is the people in my life who helped me get through many of those challenging periods. It is the people in my life who keep me focused and encourage me to live life to the fullest. It is the people in my life who help me to not take myself so seriously, and to laugh when I could just as easily have cried,” he says.
The man recalls how his seven-year-old son was his voice of reason when he was going through some trying times with some medical issues. His son asked him why he could not go to his baseball and soccer games anymore. The man says his son’s question gave him a new perspective on the situation and the motivation to try and get better.
“Everyone, injured or not, loses perspective at various points in their lives. It doesn’t make you a bad person – it makes you human.”
To keep things in perspective, the man suggests to go to a support group or simply keeping an eye out to people’s circumstances around you. Find a way to keep things in perspective that works for you because everyone is different.