Sitting Down for 6 Years

2008-05-06T23:40:00Z

Many people that have come into my life have asked me "How did you find the strength to continue on after your car accident?" and I always answer the same "I didn't have a choice." Perhaps in some way I did have a choice.. I suppose I could have hidden from society or delayed my schooling, but I treated my injury like a minor set back in the greatness I had planned to achieve. I have not yet discovered my power or courage, although I hear this rhetoric constantly from others. I hope to discover these attributes in myself at some point, but right now I am too busy pursuing daily life and personal choices. My name is Nicole, I am a L-1 paraplegic, and I wish to share my incredible life with all that are willing to listen.

I was laying on my back in the middle of an open field the moment that I became conscious of my injury. It was night time and the only light there was came from the lights of the over turned BMW 30 feet in front of me. I was surrounded by a calm silence, and at this time I did not know this would be my last serene moment for the following five months. Eerie music from the broken car was the only sound I could hear in the distance. The music played on, but life as I had known it had turned off. I knew immediately that I could not move my legs, but instead my thoughts drifted to another thought: If I had to stay the night in the hospital, who would turn in my essay to my English class the next day? I laugh at this now, but it doesn't surprise me that other things were first on my priority list.

And so began my rehabilitation. I needed to learn how to re-enter the world. For babies, the ease into society and its expectations are gradual.. However, I knew how the game was played at the age of 17.. and needed to rethink how I was going to be a functioning member again. I spent almost five months at Shriners Hospital for Children in Northern California learning the skills that would take me through the rest of my life. I say "the rest of my life" without hesitation, because A) I do not think I will walk again B) If I ever were too, the skills that were taught to me at Shriners will still be deep in my soul and practices, even without my chair. My occupational therapist changed my life (as I am sure they have other people with injuries). The most important thing she taught me was to never use tools because the real world didn't have "bars" or "high toilet seats". I was taught how to survive in other countries without ADA laws, how to invent strategies to get around obstacles, and how to stop and reassess (possibly cry) when I needed to. This kind of therapy was a lot harder, but I am eternally grateful for those lessons, as they did prepare me for anything.

After leaving rehabilitation, I continued on to graduate with the rest of my high school class. I had been accepted into UC Berkeley and attended college the following fall. It was important to stay on track. UC Berkeley was an average experience for me, but the education I received was stellar. I had plans to attend law school and majored in political science with a minor African American studies. However, the last semester at UC Berkeley I totally changed my mind. I decided that after years of counseling other injured teenagers that I would like to make it my professional career. Since then I have applied and been accepted into the masters program at USC for Occupational Science and Therapy. My future plans include working as an occupational therapist for a Shriners Hospital domestically, and traveling to other countries in the hopes of helping educate about paraplegia and the limitless life it can offer.

I could not ask for a better life. The people and experiences that I have been privileged to participate in would not have been possible without my injury. Although I cannot say what my life would have been like if I was not sitting down, I can say that I would not trade these past six years of my life for anything. I have traveled to distant lands, experienced the most joyful moments of my life, and have been offered the most fantastic opportunities.

I believe that I am a crusader, and that sitting down has allowed life to be more accessible to me than ever before.

Remirats

Sitting Down for 6 Years