Celebrating My Birthday

Saturday, October 19 was my birthday and I turned 33. My family and I went to a restaurant called the Cheesecake Factory. They are an American chain restaurant offering sizable portions from a vast menu including 34 different flavors of cheesecakes. Their menu is huge; 21 pages long and over 250 different items to choose from. Although I’m not a big cheesecake fan, I do like a lot of their foods.

We also celebrated at my house where I opened some cards. I’m at that age where I don’t really need or want anything. Just being around family is enough for me. Throughout my family, there are a lot of birthdays in October. Every year since I could remember we get together as a family and celebrate what we call "October birthdays". That party this year was at the end of September.

Jenni

Changing Pages

My blog turned 11 years old on October 13. I find it hard to believe I’ve been blogging that long. It’s been filled with great posts of all different genres. In fact, I keep a column on the right side in which I can attach categories to each post. That way if someone is trying to find something specific, they can just click on the category and get it that way. A favorite part about blogging is being able to share my life with others while helping them as well. Also, it acts as a diary for me, allowing me to get my feelings out.

 

Every day I think about how many people are impacted by me or what I have written. Ever since I started this blog, my goal has always been to inspire others and encourage people to go on despite their circumstances. Regardless of difficulties and challenges that everyone experiences, my purpose is to show that it is possible to work through them; to demonstrate that no matter what obstacles we may face in life, there is a way to overcome them. All one needs is a little positivity and faith to know that everything’s going to be okay.

 

I’ve kept a tracker on it so that I as well as others could see how many people see my blog, read my writings, and maybe have been inspired by what I’ve said. Over the years, I’ve done blog posts whenever my blog has hit a certain number of visitors. I wanted whoever visited to know they weren't the only ones reading what I had to say. My blog has made a significant amount of progress since the beginning. I can now say that I’ve reached over 380,000 page views to this day.

Jenni

Starting the Day

Is there a good way to start the day? Some people I know are slow to get going in the morning even after 8 to 10 hours of sleep at night. Seems more tied to attitude and ambition towards the day than actual lack of sleep but I could be incorrect. I wonder, is there a technique, method or trick to becoming one of those people who wake up and feel like getting up right away?

I’m probably not on the average level, since I end up taking sleep medications in order to stay asleep. Although it seems like those don’t even help all the time, when I have a night nurse coming in every hour or so either giving me medications, turning me from side to side or just checking in on me. Most times I end up taking a nap for at least 30 minutes a day in order to make it through without falling asleep randomly.

At night I usually fall asleep around 11 PM or so when I take two of my sleep meds. The other ones I take during the middle of the night in order to stay asleep. I have a scheduled routine where I wake up at a certain time every morning in order to get everything done that I need to.

It turns out to be rather unproductive since 8 or 9 hours are supposedly adequate and 10-12 seems like a poor habit. I don’t drink coffee, but I know that helps some people. Also, I’ve heard eating an apple is a very good way to wake up. But if they aren’t awake enough to eat the apple, we are back to square one.

Jenni

Faith, Love, Peace and Joy

Faith: Bigger than yourself. I don’t claim to understand it. I trust in something bigger than myself.
 

Love: if you want to feel that kind of love, you have to give it first. It will change you and everyone around you.

Peace: Like a river… It flows and never stops.

Joy: Love, living, and sacrifice. I thank God for choosing me. It is well with my soul! This life I live.

-Anonymous

Being Kind Is on My Mind

There are many things in life that can be expressed throughout different people, cultures, countries etc. I believe that being kind to one another is one language that can be spoken without using words. Just the gesture of kindness transferred from one person to another is enough to change lives. Also, I think kindness is contagious and so being friendly also helps improve others’ lives.

I try to be as kind as possible to people. There are many throughout my time as a quad that I’ve come across including PCAs, nurses, friends etc. Without their help I wouldn’t be where I am today. That’s one reason why just adding kindness to my life is so important. Another is that I enjoy helping others and sharing my story.

Some benefits from being kind include better relationships. A reason it’s valued in various relationships is that kind people can be more empathetic. Also, there can be fewer negative emotions throughout life. I think the biggest thing is that it can increase health along with peoples’ self-esteem, making the world a better place.

Jenni

"Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see."

-Mark Twain

"You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late.  

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless."

-Mother Teresa

Transferring

In order to transfer from my bed to my wheelchair, I use a ceiling lift. It’s a motorized device that lifts and transfers me from point to point alongside an overhead track. Some tracks can be ceiling mounted or freestanding. Mine is screwed into my ceiling and goes all the way to my bathroom. By using a string system, the track can be switched to go from my shower, toilet or bathtub. I mostly use it to take a shower and get in my wheelchair. Here are some pictures of what it looks like:

This is where it charges.

This is where the track changes from one area to another. To the left is my shower, straight ahead is the toilet and to the right is my bathtub.

The lift can also be used to weigh myself. I have a device that hooks from the lift to the bar; when I am in the sling, it shows my weight. In order to get it completely accurate, we need to subtract the weight of the sling and bar. Here is a picture of what the scale looks like:

Jenni

Brody Update

Just wanted to give you a quick update on Brody. He had his last session of physical therapy today and they said that he is doing better than expected. They gave him clearance to do short walks a few times a day along with his exercises. Here’s a video of him during water therapy:

Jenni

My Dog Brody

At the end of a blog post in August I wrote "Over the past couple of weeks my dog Brody was acting different. He wasn’t wanting to eat at times, go outside for walks, and looking a little down. We took him to the vet, but they didn’t find anything physically wrong. They prescribed him with some antibiotics, pain pills, and stronger allergy pills than he was on before. Over the past couple days, I’ve noticed he’s been feeling better. I’m glad that it wasn’t anything serious."

I thought it was just a phase he was going through; not wanting to jump on things like furniture. Although last Sunday morning I noticed that it was much worse; he was not able to walk anywhere with all 4 legs. Basically, he was using his front legs and dragging his back half across the floor, with the inability to pick himself up anywhere. He wouldn’t come over to his dish to eat and was struggling.

We took him into the emergency Vet clinic that day where they examined him. They told us they thought he had a herniated disc in his spine. Not completely sure where it was or how much of the spinal cord it was affecting, the only way to see was with an MRI. In order to get one, she had to take him to the University of Minnesota, which has a separate clinic and the ability to do one on him.

It showed that Brody did indeed have a slipped disc, where it was, and that surgery was the only option for fixing it. It was pinching his spinal cord, paralyzing him and causing loss of feeling. After contemplating about the odds of a 50-50 chance of recovery, we decided on going for it. Not long after, he went into emergency surgery where they removed most of the disc that ruptured.

The surgery wasn’t a "quick fix", which the doctor said was very common. They told us that it could take up to 2 weeks for him to regain feeling and movement. Although just after 6 days of recovery and physical therapy, he started moving his legs, walking a little bit and regained bladder/bowel control! It was a huge sigh of relief and prayers well answered. We picked him up from the University clinic yesterday.

He has strict instructions of limited yard time, walking distances and overall movement for the next 4 to 6 weeks. This is even after he gains strength and ability to move more. I’ve heard people say that dogs tend to look like their owners, but never take on the same disability. I find it ironic that out of all things he ended up with a spinal cord injury, just like me. I’ll keep you updated as he progresses over time.

Jenni

Unleashing my Situation

I love writing, especially if it's about me because it's another way to get things out that may be stuck inside. That’s one of the reasons why I have my blog. It’s kind of like my diary; a way to share my feelings even though it’s public. In high school and college I took creative writing classes and really enjoyed them. I’ve always thought about writing a book about my life. People have told me that I have a story that should be shared with the world. I suppose if I look back at old posts of mine I could compile them and it would create a book in itself.

I also enjoy speaking and sharing my story with others. I like to inspire them no matter what happens in life to stay positive, and believe that everything happens for a reason. I’ve said this to myself many times and it’s helped me get through situations in my life where I felt like things are out of my control. This is also how I’ve been able to overcome so many obstacles throughout my life, the biggest one being my accident. It’s one thing having a situation happen in your life and another to actually be able to overcome it when needed.

Jenni

Common Misconceptions

Everybody's fighting some form of stereotype and people with disabilities are no exception. The difference is that barriers people with disabilities face begin with people's attitudes-attitudes often rooted in misinformation and misunderstandings about what it's like to live with a disability. There are many obstacles that I face having a disability, but one of the most difficult is dealing with the common misconceptions that go along with it.

The first major misconception I think people have is that "everyone" in a wheelchair is unable to communicate. Just because they use a wheelchair to get around, doesn't mean they don't have the ability to hold a conversation or understand what you're saying. I think this is also true for people with more of a physical disability. In my own experience, some people have gone directly to my nurse or someone standing next to me to ask a question directed towards me that I’m able to answer myself.

Another misconception is that I need some sort of fixing or healing. For example, I’ve had people come up to me in public and actually say they will "pray for me" or wish me a speedy recovery. Being that I am used to it, my reaction is probably kinder than others would be. Usually I reply by just saying "thanks" not wanting to further along a conversation. But I’m sure others may take more of an offense to it.

I think that most misconceptions come with a lack of education, understanding or fear. That’s why by showcasing the abilities of people with disabilities, I can help clear some of the misconceptions out there and bring them to light. Those living with disabilities are valuable human beings who want to be part of something greater just like everybody else.

We have the same hopes and dreams along with being part of the community, not separate. I like to get out in public and talk to people in schools and conferences. It’s also one reason why I have my blog. My goal is to educate others about people with disabilities, reminding others to stop assuming anything based on outward appearances.

Despite all the challenges and struggles I've been through I continue to stay positive. I'm very  creative and like to inspire others. The biggest advice I give to other people is not to take things for granted, you never know what can happen.

Jenni