Prevent secondary complications? Cure paralysis!

The other day I posted all the issues associated with paralysis that I have personally gone through. At that time I said that I thought I could be the "paralysis secondary complications" poster boy.

Well, I guess that if I was, the poster would look something like this.

Silly poster, but very very TRUE.

I guess

I guess I'm back.

Not the most convincing statement I've ever made, but for now its a big of a commitment as I can make.

I've put a lot of energy into this blog over the years, especially into the campaigns, and I refuse to let it go to waste.

This blog was first started when I was in a rehab hospital after my second operation for an arachnoid cyst on my original point of injury. In total I was in the hospital for one year the first time.

It has continued since then through an operation for syringomyelia and the subsequent three months of rehab I went through, and then through to an almost four month hospital stay for a pressure sore. So I don't want to give up now.

The pressure sore added to my 24/7 neuropathic pain is what really got me. 

I've had so many secondary complications from paralysis that sometimes I feel like the "secondary complications poster boy". I guess this is one of the biggest reasons why I've continued writing and campaigning for paralysis cure; I know from my own experience that the happy life in a wheelchair is not possible for many living with paralysis. 

It's great to show all we can do even if we're paralysed, but the problem is that when we show the world how we're the same as everyone else, we are actually not telling the whole truth, and this big lie makes many believe that a cure is not urgent. Well, it is.

Concentrating on the super human feats of those living with paralysis actually hurts the self image of those who can't even do regular human feats due to secondary complications or the nature/level of their injury. Those of us who can't live normal happy lives are lead to believe that there is something wrong with us, not paralysis. 

A few years ago I wrote a blog post called "Tequila shots for cirrhosis research" and in this post there is a link to a CBC programme where people are talking exactly about what I'm saying here. Have a look and it might change your impression of those who the media chooses to focus on.

So if I want a cure for paralysis because I know a carefree life in the chair is not possible, I guess I'm going to have to keep fighting for cure.

"I guess" is all I can promise at this point in time, but if a bunch of other "I guesses" join together, we'll be that much closer to cure.

They fixed the pressure sore, but what I really needed was a kick in the butt.

As many of you know, I've been in hospital. I've had/I had a pressure sore that didn't react to four months of out-patient treatment and it put me on my back in the hospital for the past three months. 

Well, three months and two operations later, it looks like I'll be back in the saddle again next week. I guess I could just leave it there and everyone would forgive me my not writing in my blog or doing any cure work.

How can you type on a computer if you're lying flat?

To tell the truth, it's really quite simple. You lose some speed and a little accuracy, but it's not so hard.

Well, even if you can type, who works while they're lying in the hospital with a giant hole in their butt?

Me. While I didn't do my cure work or write my blog, I did do my union work everyday. I wrote articles, did consultations, held strategy meetings, and did negotiations. I even did my union work on the days that I would have usually worked on my blog or other cure activities.

So I guess, through my own admission, I'm caught. 

Simply put, I got tired of being a cripple and decided that if I just concentrated on doing other stuff, I wouldn't be a cripple. I would stay in the hospital until my pressure sore healed and then I would leave victorious. Pressure sore healed. End of story.

I decided that I would be like normal people who leave the hospital - cured!

Well, as my pressure sore gets closer to being healed, the doctor has now let me know that I can sit up at 90 degrees in bed and then next week I can use my wheelchair.

"USE MY WHEELCHAIR!"

I guess hearing this phrase jolted me back into cure activism mode.

Does this sound crazy to you? 

It sounds crazy to me now, but not while I was hoping that I'd just walk out of here once my pressure sore healed.

So now that I've snapped back into reality, you can expect a lot more work out of me and even though I appreciate the three months you gave me to dream (and accomplish nothing), the next time this happens, kick me in the ass. 

Well, not in the ass because I can't feel it and you may bugger up the pressure sore. Kick me in the arm and tell me to get my ass back to work. Cure is waiting but we're the ones who have to make it happen.

I was going to say more, but I guess that I'll try to make sure that my first post-hibernation post doesn't offend anyone. I was going to talk about those who...opiate of the masses...happy rolling. Oh, well. That's for another day.

In the meantime, there are many things to do. Take a second to see some of the things you can help with and sign up.

Join the CureCaptains and get others involved.

Join our Canadian Cure SCI Group and help steer chronic cure in Canada.

Take the U2FP $5 video challenge educate yourself while supporting Unite2FightParalysis.

Like StemCells&AtomBombs on facebook and help popularlise the blog so others learn about paralysis cure.

Follow this site get regular updates about cure activity.

Just doing one of these things brings cure a little closer to millions.
So get off your ass and give it a click.