“It’s not what happens to you that determines your fate, but what you do about it.”
 – Author unknown

As a recreation therapist and a personal trainer, my goal is to get you back to living as independent, active and healthy a lifestyle as possible. However, there seems to be a huge gap between spinal cord injury rehabilitation and being active once you get home. Many reasons seem to get in the way: family obligations, wheelchair accessible transportation issues, money. My wish is that after reading this article, the gap won’t be so huge and you will get going!

Understanding the Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Transition
Some people just get it, like Collin Smith, 17, and his family. Collin and his family’s “take charge” attitude made the adjustment to this new lifestyle as a quadriplegic a smaller pill to swallow. A car accident on August 19, 2005, caused Collin to fracture his C-5 vertebrae. Collin had a “chug along” mentality throughout his 13-week rehab experience at Shepherd Center in Atlanta, GA, and refused to have a “poor pitiful me” attitude. The Smith family can teach us a lot about the power of family, the sense of community, good communication, planning, and faith.

Establish a Post Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Routine.
There will be considerable changes to your free time, especially if you are not going back to work/school right away. Research has shown that using free time to pursue interests that are physically and mentally stimulating increases well-being, reduces isolation, and improves overall quality of life.

For Collin, he went back to high school right away. In addition to that, he tries to do something active every day. Three to four times a week he exercises; sometimes he just pushes his wheelchair around.

“My family played a large role in helping me get back to a routine. If something didn’t work out, we would talk and pray about it," he says. "We tried not to let this get between our relationships.”

Explore Your Recreation Interests
Whether it is figuring out how to do an old favorite or discovering a new interest, TRY IT! Talk with your family and friends about what activities you would like to do together and which ones you want to do solo.

“We were able to return to many of the activities that we did before as a family," says Janet Smith, Collin’s mother. “For us, it was not an option to sit around and do nothing. He had to stay active.”

Find Adaptive Sports Equipment
Whether it is a handcycle, grasping cuff or a card holder, research what is out there for your recreation interest. Sometimes there isn’t much out there, so you have to improvise. Problem solve. Get creative and talk with others. Think to yourself: What do I need to participate in this activity? You might be surprised at what you are able to adapt.

Identify Community Resources While in Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation
Find out about transportation options, accessibility in local gyms and fitness centers, restaurants, and bowling alleys. People are willing to help, especially if it’s someone they know and love. Sometimes they just don’t know what to do or how to help.

“People throughout our community would simply ask how Collin was doing,” Mrs. Smith says, “The value of our community’s support was tremendous, not just financially, but to know that they were invested in our lives truly meant a lot."

Be proactive in raising awareness about ADA and how communities can make everyday activities easier for people with a disability. Collin helps coach his sister’s basketball team and goes on mission trips with his church. By being a visible positive role model in his community, he shows others all that he is capable of doing.

“Plus,” adds Janet, “it’s good to be in touch with others and to be able to give yourself to a cause that is bigger than you. It makes us grateful.”

Don’t Give Up
At times, things can be hard and grief can sneak up on you, but we choose our attitude.

When asked what lessons he has learned through the whole process, Collin said, “Persistence pays off! I used to be in a power chair and now I push a manual chair. I can even transfer myself from my wheelchair to the mat and back up to my chair.”

If something doesn’t work out for you the first few times, talk it out with your family and friends on what needs to happen to make it work and then try again. You can look to others for strength, but in the end YOU have to want it. Following your spinal cord injury rehabilitation, get active!

“We rely on the strength of our faith. It is amazing what we can do when we have to,” Janet says.
So true.

Collin Smith is a 17-year-old junior at his local high school in Asheboro, NC. He is in full March Madness fever, but still finds time to stretch and exercise four to five days out of the week in addition to playing video games.

See Related Articles
If you have a disability, knowing which sport is the best for you can be a difficult decision.  See Disabled Sports: What’s Out There? to learn more about your options and the best time to start.

See One Amputee Rediscovers Her Body Through Yoga and discover how one woman got back in touch with her body's needs after a new disability.