Wheel World News Issue 42 March | Page 11

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it would take a few weeks for the swelling to go down. Any diagnosis prior to the swelling going down could be inaccurate, and so they tried their best to only say what they knew for sure. One of my nurses said he had seen this before once, and that person ended up walking with crutches within a year.

However, when I got back to Phoenix after three weeks in Maui Memorial Hospital, the doctors and physical therapists told me that this was my condition for the rest of my life, and that there is nothing I could do to improve it. I felt like I got hit by a truck, from those professionals telling me I could never squeeze my hand or wiggle my toes again, much less walk and play sports. The hospital had already taken preventative measures like prescribing me antidepressants and making a therapist visit me twice a week so that I would not fall into a state of depression. But thankfully, the support from my family, my friends, and my classmates who visited me in the hospital made me optimistic and gave me the motivation to keep moving forward, regardless of how crummy I felt that day. There are way too many people to mention who have supported me, but there are some I would like to mention that have done nothing but support me. Those people are my immediate family: Mom, Dad, Mandy, Ashley, the Spartz family, the Wojturski family, my family who live in Chicago, my high school teachers such as Mrs. Korman, Mr. Jones, Mr. Devenney, Ms. Mac, Mr. Tutt, Mr. Youngberg, Mr. Singleton, Geoff Marsden, Kim Reichert, Patrick Barden, Hannah Burns, Kendall Church, Jerecho Fishbeck, Cordell Freeman, Emily James, Jake Kirschner, Emily Larson, Sydney Pisano, Nicole Schripsema, Craig Stauffer, and my cousin who is like my brother, Dmitri Washington. My neighbors on Williams Dr. have been like family to me since I was a little kid, and they have cheered me on through high school and now into college. Again, there are so many people who have helped me along the way that I cannot thank enough, and the chances are if you are reading this, you too have only made me more positive about myself and what I have experienced.

I am currently a senior in college majoring in Aerospace Engineering with plans on graduating in December of this year. I hope to continue my education with a Masters degree right away, also here at the UA. The faculty here have inspired me to pursue my degree, and the Disability Resource Center has given me the tools and accommodations necessary to succeed in college and beyond.

Overall, I am still a very healthy young adult male, but one who just happens to be a wheelchair user. I get front row parking everywhere and unobstructed views of sporting events so while it may seem odd for me to be That’s the only thing you can do in a situation like mine: surround yourself with supportive friends and a loving family, and nothing else matters.

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