Pretty much all of the challenges I faced after my injury are listed in the advice section. Bladder and bowel were an issue for me, but a strict routine made those easy to deal with. I had super sensitive skin but eventually it was easier to pressure relief on my own and allowed me to now be a full time manual chair user. Having a full schedule for school, therapy, and family was tough but with a daily nap and encouragement from family and friends, it helped me mentally stay focused and optimistic. Playing video games and sports with my friends during my childhood and in high school was my hobby, and since I really couldn’t play sports, I turned to video games as my main hobby. I wasn’t very good at first, but with a lot of practice and a lot of encouragement from my friends, I got a lot better. Now I play with them all the time and it helps me reconnect with the pre-injury Alex that I was. Finally, I would get frustrated if I couldn’t learn something in a day, like transfers or laundry or carrying things on my lap. It took me almost two and a half years to perfect a transfer out of my manual chair, so there were days that I was angry at the world but knew that I could only get better by focusing my energy on working on it.
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-Alex Spartz
12
Click here to read Alex's featured story in the University of Arizona College of Engineering News to see all the remarkable things he's up to in Tucson!