Margarita Elizondo is a survivor of attempted murder. She was shot in the neck, and that damaged her ability to speak. She had to mouth to her daughter to call the necessary emergency hotlines during the attack. She also lost her unborn child, as she was 7 months pregnant at that time.
“Later, I learned that if I hadn’t been pregnant, I wouldn’t have survived. The blood carried in my womb saved me, since I had so much blood loss. At that moment, I felt so much guilt for not being able to save the baby. But today, I know my baby was my saving grace.”
The attack has left her paralyzed from the neck down, and doctors told her that she will be dependent on a ventilator. Margarita has also lost her ability to speak, but she has someone to read her lips and interpret the words she mouths. Yet, Margarita managed to defy doctors’ diagnoses and regained the ability to breathe on her own again when she was weaned off the ventilator. She also regained some sensation in her upper body, and was able to move her thumb.
Margarita went through a dark period after the accident. She doubted the possibilities that her future could behold, and was emotionally burdened by the fact that she would have to dependent on other people, like her family or caregivers. Most of all, she felt that she was being an irresponsible parent to her three children, as she was unable to provide them with the necessities in life.
A turning point
Margarita met a social worker who helped her be more involved in her children’s lives. A pastor also asked her to consider setting up a ministry for people with disabilities to encourage and motivate them. And she did. Through serving other people, Margarita learned much from them and gained a new perspective on life. The positive impact she had on others in turn motivated her as well.
“I learned that the faster I could make the transition from being so ‘I focused’ to ‘others focused,’ the faster I would heal and recover. A special kind of healing comes when you put the needs and concerns of others ahead of your own.”
Margarita then focused on bettering herself as a person and as a career woman by taking lessons and by entering more jobs. She has been involved in a new ministry and has reached out to other communities of people with disabilities through corporate work. One of her biggest opportunities was to co-create a wireless service “specifically designed to serve seniors and individuals with disabilities who require a little more help.” She was also crowned Ms. Wheelchair California 2013.
Ultimately, Margarita has come out of her accident a stronger person. She embraces what life has dealt her, and uses that to drive her to strive for greater achievements. She understands that times will get tough, but she will eventually get through them, and so can anyone else.
Share this post with someone to show them that they, too, can make it through difficult times, just like Margarita did.