Journal History I

On November 1, 2002 I was in a car accident. A few days later, my family started a CaringBridge site to keep everybody updated on what was going on with me. It's very interesting for me to read back through the Journal history since I don't remember much from directly after my accident. I'm creating a new series called Journal history in which I will continue to post most of the entries for all to read. Here are the Journal entries from November 5 through November 17.

Tuesday, November 05, 2002 at 08:14 AM (CST)

Jenni has had some progress. Sunday (11/3) she was placed in a Halo brace to keep her neck immobilized. Monday (11/4) she had her breathing tube removed from her mouth and a breathing tube placed in her trachea. We welcomed this operation to provide more comfort for her throat and now when she mouths her words to us it is much more comfortable.

Saturday, November 9th, 2002 6:45 PM

Although Jenni had a quiet night last night, she did not sleep well. Today she wanted to rest alot and we agreed she should. The nursing staff is the best, and Jen is comfortable with all of them. They are keeping her busy with tests and different things that will help her recover faster. The staff stressed the need for "quiet time" for Jen, we realize how important that is. We want her to recover just as much as everyone, so we are letting her rest as much as she needs. The family thanks everyone for the continued support, and we will let you know when she is able to have visitors more often. Thank you and God Bless.

Sunday, November 10th, 9:45 PM

There was not much change in Jenni' condition today, but we know with each passing moment her body is healing. Jenni is so strong! Kevin, Lori, Cindy and Kristen would like to say THANK YOU to the enormous network of family and friends who have come together in support. You have given us the strength and courage to cope. Jenni also knows you there and she is comforted. Coach Cos says; "Together" and we feel together. You are amazing people. God Bless you all.

Tuesday, November 12, 2002 at 08:58 AM (CST)

Jenni had a good night last night. Nurse Marylou wheeled in a TV/VCR and we listened to a movie until the Sandman came. He stayed with Jenni most of night, and this morning she feels rested. Today the Staff is working on elevating the bed more often, and for longer periods of time. We are continuing to hope and pray for Jenni and know you are too. God Bless.

Tuesday, November 12, 2002 at 07:20 PM (CST)

A pretty good day today for Jenni. She had a visit from the Occupational Therapy department. They had her sitting upright in bed for about 5 minutes. It was a little uncomfortable, but a necessary stop on the road to recovery. Wednesday she gets to try a reclining chair. She enjoyed the new view of her surroundings. She also got some personal dental work from Cindy who filed a sharp point off her front tooth. It sure feels better, thanks Cindy. Jenni did ask her cousin Kari to find her a poster of "EMINEM"-(with his shirt off), to put on the ceiling for when she is lying on her back. We'll clear that one with the Staff. She sends her love and thanks to all of you. God Bless.

Wednesday, November 13, 2002 at 11:43 PM (CST)

Jenni writes tonight's journal entry:

"Dear friends and family of mine,

I love you all so much and I am so thankful to be in your prayers.
God bless you all. Thanks for writing to me and keeping my hopes up.
I love you all so much and hope to talk to and see you soon".

With love,
Jenni

Thursday, November 14, 2002 at 09:44 PM (CST)

Today was a very busy day for Jenni. This afternoon she went to surgery to have an artery in her neck "sealed" This was done to prevent any clots from releasing and moving to her brain. We feel much more relieved now.

Jenni received a new trachea tube today however it turned out to be "not quite right". Another should be delivered on Monday. She is being very patient through all this, a definite sign of her strength and courage.

Saturday, November 16, 2002 at 1:58 AM (CST)

Good morning. Jenni had another milestone today. She got 10 very proud minutes in a chair! She was not quite upright, but good enough that she was finally able to see the rest of room she has been in the past two weeks. She was so excited. (Aunt Sandy took advantage of the empty bed to surgically tape an "EMINEM" poster to the ceiling. No more boring ceiling tile dots to look at.) We then had a mini photo shoot, taking pictures of Jenni with everyone there; Dad, Aunt Sandy, Aunt Julie, and nurses/new friends. What a ham! Late last night Cindy pampered Jenni with a scalp massage and hair brushing, while Dad did his best at a facial. Jenni loved it so much she didn't want us to stop. Later, a Respiratory Tech named "Ta" stopped and French braided her hair. (She actually bailed us out because we weren't sure what country her braid would've been from had Cindy and Dad done it.)We pretend we are at the "Ped's ICU Resort and Spa", a relaxing place Jenni can go to and take her mind off other things.

We may be moving Jen next week to Gillette Children's Hospital in St. Paul for rehabilitation. We visited the facility on Friday and were very impressed. Jenni has the "can hardly waits" to go there. We will keep you informed. Thank you for your continued support and prayers. God Bless.

Sunday, November 17, 2002 at 09:36 AM (CST)

We would like to devote this journal entry to educate you about Jenni's injury and present physical condition. Jenni suffered a compression injury to her neck, specifically her spinal cord in her cervical vertibrae,(C1-C2),at the base of her neck. As a result of this injury, she does not have voluntary control of any muscles below this point, including her diaphram. She is on a ventilator to provide her breathing. Above the point of injury, she is completely functional with the exception of her voice. The ventilator tube enters her trachea below her vocal cords.

Eventually she will learn to pass air across her vocal cords allowing her to speak with sound.
At this time there is nothing surgically or medically available to repair spinal cord damage. None, partial or full regeneration of the nerve cells may happen, but only time will tell. You can learn more about her type of injury by visiting www.spinalcord.org. A link is provided below.
We hope to move Jenni from HCMC Peds ICU to Gillette Children's Hospital in St Paul for rehabilitation as soon as we get the ok.

Thank you again for all your support through prayers and thoughts. God bless you all.

Working on Homework

I've been extremely busy with my online cultural anthropology class this past week, hence the reason for the lack of blog posts. I love creative writing and especially writing posts for all of you to read. However I find it difficult to write them at this point because I feel guilty when I'm obligated to write things like discussion posts and papers for my class. Sorry to say this one ends on the 29th and July 2 I'll be starting an online marketing class. That means the same thing might happen depending on my workload. I guess that's part of what goes along with college!

For this class I have two chapters, seven discussion posts, a two-page paper, and a 100 point quiz that I have to do for homework each week. Right now I'm in the middle of working on my fourth paper in week four of my class (there's five weeks). For the paper, I have to pretend like I was just hired by NASA to create an extraterrestrial community in which I try to avoid problems and conflicts that exist in a modern society. I have to say I wasn't excited about this assignment at first, but I just typed out 300 words in the last half-hour after doing a little research. (With the help of Dragon NaturallySpeaking speech recognition software I'm able to type a lot of words by voice if I don't stop very much to think lol).

There's something about this paper that's intriguing me now that wasn't before; it's that I'm able to create a society/community where I have the ability to avoid all problems that exist in the world today. Now that's what I call the coolest idea ever. I'm all for being able to eliminate crime and murder and implement good political, educational, and economic systems. I also have to share how I would maintain order and settle conflicts along with what main values I would build into my community. It's turning out to be interesting figuring out what's wrong with our society now and turning it into something right. Of course, I wouldn't have to necessarily create the perfect community, but why not?

Jenni

Creating Artwork

One of my favorite activities to do is paint. I use watercolor and special paper to create all sorts of images and sceneries. In order to do so, someone puts the end of a paintbrush in my mouth with the other end full of the color I want; then they hold the paper for me. I've been using this technique since my accident and it's proved to be the best method.

It's the most fun and relaxing thing I do. It gives me great pleasure to create paintings that others can enjoy. I get asked all the time if I sell my paintings by people interested in buying them. The reason I haven't decided to yet is because I tend to get attached so it's hard to let go of the originals, especially if they're really good. I thought about making prints and then selling them, but haven't gotten around to it. Someday I'll get up the courage to sell some, just not yet.

I had four watercolor classes over the past five weeks that I took at the Edina Art Center. I took the same class there with the same teacher a couple of years ago and loved it! The best part was learning new techniques for my paintings. The class this year was 2 1/2 hours long. It's hard on my neck to paint for a long period of time so I have to take frequent breaks. There's another one just like it possibly starting this Wednesday with six classes. I won't be able to make it the first class because of appointments but hopefully I can sign up for it and attend the remaining five.

In the first watercolor class, she showed us how to paint a fish. Although I tried, it was difficult for me to do because of all of the details. Throughout the second class I worked on a painting of some flowers in a vase. I didn't know how to go about starting something like this since I hadn't done it before. The art teacher showed me a picture to go off of and then taught me how to create a vase. I wet the whole paper first and then created the background with yellow and a tiny bit of pink and blue. When the paper dried some, I put in some darker green to show the leaves. Next, I painted the vase with a purple and made the right side of it a little bit darker to show some shadow. That's all I completed that day.

In the third class, the teacher showed us how to paint a flower and then put a background in. Whenever I paint scenery I always start with the background first so this technique was very helpful to me. I practiced painting a flower; when it was dry I wet the white of the paper and touched in some color creating a background. Although it was just on a scratch piece of watercolor paper, sometimes even when I'm just practicing the paintings turn out really well and end up becoming

finished pieces.

During the fourth class I finished my flower painting. The teacher told me that it looked really good the way it was but I could add a little more color. So I added some brighter yellow, pink, and a tiny bit of blue. I think it turned out really nice and is one of my better paintings. I'm definitely going to try this technique again with flowers and a vase. I could possibly turn this painting into greeting cards or just make prints of it but I haven't decided yet.

Let me know what you think!

Jenni

Finding Time

I can't believe that it's June already. This year is going by so fast! I started my online cultural anthropology class this last week. It's extremely demanding of my time and there's a lot of homework; because it's during the summer, the class is essentially a 16 week class condensed into 5 weeks. Each week I have two chapters to read (about 50 pages), seven discussion posts, a 1-2 page paper, and a 20 question quiz worth 100 points. I've been able to get most of it done these past few days however each week will be different depending on other things I've committed to. Over the next four days I have meetings and appointments that will require a lot of my time so I'm a little worried about how much homework I'll be able to get done.

My week coming so far…

Monday-Botox appointment

Tuesday-Physical therapy, Art Class, acupuncture

Wednesday-Ms. wheelchair Minnesota board meeting, physical therapy

Thursday-Manual therapy, Psychotherapist appointment

Friday-Physical therapy

This doesn't seem like too much looking at it spread out, but I haven't included public transportation drive time. That can sometimes take longer than appointments depending on where I have to go and different pickups of people. Also, I often have to wait longer than the original pickup times; certain companies are better at being on time than others but most of the time it doesn't matter… I'm always waiting. The worst thing is when we have to pick up and drop off other people; being in a vehicle driving around the city when I know I could be spending that time getting other things done such as homework isn't the most ideal situation. It wouldn't be so bad if it was always straight shots.

Anyways, back to my homework. I have two discussion posts to do and a paper to finish up before 10 PM tonight. Wish me luck in all my endeavors for the summer. Blog posts might be a little scarce as homework is my top priority!

Feel free to make suggestions or submit comments and questions-I'm always looking for ideas on blog posts to write.

Thanks!

Jenni

"There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want."

-Bill Watterson

One with Nature

Memorial Day is a federal holiday that is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service. It's also a big weekend where people take time to spend with family and friends, doing a lot of outdoor activities. Also, going "up north" (anywhere north of the Twin Cities) as we call it in Minnesota is common.

Today I went for a roll in Wayzata with my aunt, Sandy and sister, Kristen. First, we stopped at Starbucks and got drinks and then headed down a path around part of Lake Minnetonka. It was a beautiful day and there were lots of people boating, fishing, swimming biking etc. We were out for a couple of hours just people watching and enjoying the sunshine.

I love going outside and prefer to be in the sun. Some days I'll sit directly in the sun for hours. Although, my skin is extremely sensitive so I have to be very careful and wear sunscreen all the time. My face and arms will get really red even if I've only been outside for 10 min. in the sun. I think a lot of it has to do with the medications I'm on; they can cause my skin to be hypersensitive and I burn easily. One thing that's interesting is that most people in my situation don't sweat below their injury, but I do. My back and feet do the most but those are the places that I also wear braces. I'm probably able to sweat because my injury is incomplete.

I've written blog posts before mentioning my backyard and the beautiful forest that surrounds my house. We live on an acre, and our property backs up to a forest filled park with a nature trail. That guarantees that no one will ever build behind or around us. I enjoy watching the animals and just listening to nature; it's so peaceful and relaxing. It doesn't matter what season it is, there's always something to see and hear.

I also love all of the plants and flowers. I like to have people take pictures of them and the animals. My mom plants a lot of things each spring; that also includes a garden with all sorts of vegetables and some fruit. I've posted some good photos of my yard, house, plants and animals that I've taken over the years.

Female turkey in the tree

Raccoon taking a snooze in broad daylight

This is my favorite picture of a tree frog on a Black-Eyed Susan in our front yard

Dear in the woods

Monarch butterfly that I released

Two pairs of ducks swimming in the marsh

Goose reflection shot

Two woodchucks chowing down on some corn

My backyard

Fire pit and woods in my backyard

Flower shot

Flower shot II

Before my accident I loved going fishing, hiking and canoeing. Basically any outdoor activity that involved nature I was doing. I went to a YMCA camp in Amery, Wisconsin for seven summers straight and was going to be a counselor there. I've gone back to the camp to visit a couple of times since.

Jenni

Why I Blog

I've been thinking lately about reasons why I blog. First, it's important to know that everything I say is true to me and my feelings. My goal is to share my story, giving others a glimpse into the life of a quadriplegic. I want to educate others about people with disabilities and tell those looking from the outside that there is nothing to fear or be afraid about. No question is a dumb question. In fact, I encourage people to ask and explore their thoughts with me. All of these are reasons why I started to blog about my life.

Before reading a friend's blog, I had no idea what one was. I was intrigued by the number of readers and how many people commented on the post. I was also interested in finding out how to go about setting one up. I've always loved writing, especially about myself, so I figured blogging wouldn't be too difficult. After researching a little bit about blogs in general, I started creating mine in September 2008.

After figuring out a name and design, I made it live by October. I didn't know what to expect and hadn't a clue the responses I would get. Pretty soon the number of visitors started rising and I realized I was reaching people across the world. I never imagined I would be receiving comments and e-mails from others in similar situations just looking for support and someone to relate to. While starting to realize the impact I was making, I became addicted to blogging. I began opening up more about my life and writing in more detail.

I knew quickly how important and special this blog was becoming; this is what I stated in a post a couple weeks after starting it up:

"I love this blog! It feels good to be able to express myself while others become inspired by me. It is so much fun to post my writings and opinions. The first month was going to be a trial to see how I liked it. Obviously, this blog isn't going anywhere soon. I'm excited to say that I am going to keep this running as long as possible."

Keep the comments and questions coming!

Jenni

"All of us, at certain moments of our lives, need to take advice and to receive help from other people."
-Alexis Car

A Look into School and a Job

It feels so good to be done with spring semester. My first summer class starts at the end of this month and I'm actually looking forward to it. Even though I like being stress-free and not having to worry about homework deadlines, I do like to stay busy. School has always been one thing that's constant and consistent. That's probably what this keeps me motivated to keep going, along with the feeling I'll get when I finally have a degree and will be looking for a job. I know I've talked a lot about school lately but I'm excited about the progress and accomplishments I've made.

At the time of the accident, I was two months into my sophomore year of high school. While in the hospital, I finished up two classes that I was taking. I tried to go back to school after I got home towards the end of my sophomore year but decided I wasn't ready. I went back my junior year and ended up graduating on time with my class in June 2005; that was something I was shooting for, but didn't know if it would happen. I signed up for one class at Normandale fall 2005, but after two weeks of attending I withdrew from the class. I've officially been going there since fall 2006 just taking one or two classes at the time (which is all that I can usually handle in my busy life).

Throughout the past seven years, my sole experience with working has been one job that lasted through two summers. It was with Intermediate District 287 doing data entry, spreadsheets and art design. All other experience I have has been volunteering; this includes public speaking, working with children, Ms. Wheelchair Minnesota 2011, advocating etc. I would love to do an internship somewhere to get even more experience within the communications field. However, I'm definitely eager to find a job that pays.

Right now I'm working on revising my resume so I can start distribution whenever needed. I'm also going to get new business cards to give out. I think the best thing one can do is market themselves and find contacts whenever possible. Even though I'm not planning on working quite yet, it will be good to create relationships with others and get my name out. That way when I do start looking for a job I'll know exactly what I want and who I should connect with. I'm eager to get into the work field but I know I have to finish getting my degree's first.

I've often thought about getting a part-time job so I could get paid versus all of the volunteering I do, but I'm not sure what type of position would suit me right now. Plus, it may be difficult for me to juggle classes and a career at the same time. I'm already very busy so adding 20 hours a week for work would probably be very difficult. Maybe I could start out with a few hours a week and work my way up; I'll just have to keep my options open.

For now, I'm enjoying my time relaxing and sitting in the sun with no worries or stress; the only work I'm doing now is on my tan!

Jenni

Happy Mother's Day!

Amazing Mother

Brought life into this world

Cherished every given moment

Sweet memories of bliss

Generosity and kindness throughout

Gave love to others

Caretaker to all around

Dedication within the family

Sacrifices made for children

Amazing mother of mine

-Jenni Taylor

There's an End in Sight

Spring semester at Normandale ends after next week. I'm glad I will be done with my Intro to Short Stories class soon. I only need 10 more credits (three classes) and then I'll have enough to graduate with my Associates in Arts with an Emphasis in Communications at the end of fall semester.

I signed up for summer classes a few weeks ago. There are two summer sessions, each one month long. The first session goes from May 29-June 29 and I'll be taking Cultural Anthropology which meets one of my transfer goals. That's the only class that seemed somewhat interesting compared to the other history type classes. Then, I'll be taking Intro to Marketing for the second session which goes from July 2-August 3. This will be an elective although I'm not quite sure how much I'll like it; I hope it's not boring. I thought it could be of some use if I want to be able to market myself in the future.

Registration opened last week for fall classes already so I got that out of the way as well. I signed up for Geology which meets my science with a lab goal; that will meet at Normandale Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. I haven't taken a class yet where I've gone three days a week so I'm interested to see how I'll hold up. I'm sure it won't be too bad. Even though the three classes I signed up for are enough to graduate, I did add Public Relations online also in the fall.

I can't believe my graduation from Normandale is this year! I've been attending since fall of 2006, just taking one or two classes at a time. This will be a huge accomplishment, alongside of graduating high school on time with my class. My plans are to go on with school to get my bachelors in Personal Communications. I just recently figured that out; before I didn't know what I was going to do afterwards. Metro State in Minneapolis has a good program where I can choose which track I want, and I'm going to do public relations. I've looked into a lot of jobs in this field and it's definitely something I have taken interest in.

My general interest in PR came just in the last year, since becoming Ms. Wheelchair Minnesota 2011. During my reign, I had to do all my own researching, publicizing and contacting news coverage. I was able to get my story published in three newspapers and one online paper. I also wrote (and read others) blog posts in different areas about everything I did. Besides attending events and speaking, being able to promote myself to others was one of my favorite things I did.

Jenni

Podcast!

Listen to my podcast on the BeautyAbility blog! Tiffany interviews me about my life and how I'm dealing with my disability. Click on the link below and then click play…

http://www.beautyability.com/2.0/2012/04/29/podcast-85-a-vent-no-big/

Jenni