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and the examiner just looked over and smiled. I think he knew I could drive at that point. Once I had my own car and the independence that that gives you I was really able to thrive. I was able to do more and more in the college and was able to graduate in a year and a half with hard work. Another major challenge though was getting used to my new body. Initially I ate like I did before my injury and because I wasn’t burning nearly the same amount of calories I became heavy while getting bigger from lifting weights also. After taking a nutrition class and learning about proper diet and exercise, I was able to radically transform myself, losing 67 pounds and taking on a much healthier lifestyle before coming to Arizona to attend ASU.
Coming to terms with the things you can and cannot do is important. I didn’t always like it but I knew there were certain things that were not part of my life anymore, whereas if I kept an open mind I knew that other options for sports, activities and ventures were. The number of them that were available then versus now was dramatically smaller but I have seen so many new and cool things come to fruition over the years and got to experience a lot of them. It’s important to try as much as you can to find out what thing you like and to expand your horizons. If you don’t enjoy and activity, move on to the next one and perhaps you will. There are always the limitations of secondary conditions with paralysis, and things like routines, time, injury concerns and it’s important to find the best way you can to work around those so that you can thrive. Most of the people that I have known over the nearly 32 years since my injury have been extremely positive and have gone on to do great things. It’s easy to wallow in self-pity but that’s not a recipe for someone who wants to thrive.
I would recommend to anyone that is newly injured or even someone living with paralysis that they lean on others for support. Finding groups and people that share the same challenges not only gives you ideas, solace and a feeling of belonging but it gives you access to knowledge that you simply can’t get without experience. There are lots of people willing to help and share and lift up their peers so take advantage of that. Trying to do it alone is much tougher and doesn’t create those networking opportunities that are really important to living a fulfilling life. Be patient as well, the initial transition