I have a complete C 5-6 spinal cord injury, and I can't feel anything from my nipples down. I can use my hands, but not my fingers, and I have use of my biceps, but not my triceps. So, for example, I can rub my face to scratch an itch, but I can't push open a door.

THE ACCIDENT

I am thirty-three now, but I was thirty-one when I had my accident. The injury happened near Roland (a rural community) in a car accident. I went out for a drive one night and the car's suspension strut broke. I hit a bump and the car swerved to the right, across the median and into the grass. The car flipped over, head over heals, and I was trapped inside. I couldn't move, and lay there for five hours. I went off the ramp in the dark at 3:30 AM and the sun was up the next morning before the fire department cut me out of the car. The hospital was only ½ mile away, but I knew right from the beginning that I was paralyzed.

I was in the Roland hospital, from the 23rd of February until the 10th of March and then I was transferred to the University's Rehabilitation Center. I was there until the 25th of May. From there I spent a couple of weeks with my sister and then came back to the college town, where I live now. I knew once I came here that I had to work out housing. I filled out the HUD forms while I was in rehabilitation. So when I was discharged to my sister's, it was a short time until I had my own apartment.

LIVING AND WORKING

At first I was going to go back to Texas, but I decided to stay here instead. There are a lot of other people around here who have spinal cord injuries, and the town has a lot of access and the public transportation system is pretty good. Plus, one of my sisters lives just over in Eugene, so I've got some family nearby.

I volunteer at the Rehabilitation Center with people who've recently been injured. I like to think I'm like a mentor or peer model. I take them out in the community, show them around town, show them my apartment, tell them what they can expect... I try to teach them how to stand up for themselves, and not be afraid of the road. I help them get accustomed to what they are going to be for the rest of their lives. Because you have to look on this as a second chance, just a bump in the road, you know?

 Someday I'd like to do the same thing for kids like I used to be -- delinquents and such. Well, not delinquents, really, just... kids who are kind of confused.

I took the job at the Independent Living Center to get practice. I am a peer role model who advocates for individuals with disabilities. I work with a lot of organizations and I am still learning about resources. I like working, having a paycheck twice a month, not taking government money.

GROWING UP

I think what made my injury and rehabilitation work out so well is the style of life that I lived. I used to move around a lot: I lived in Alaska, San Francisco, San Diego, Phoenix, and Seattle. I've even hopped trains and been a hobo. I've worked on fishing boats and have a skill - carpentry. I've built and remodeled homes. I adjusted to my new life quickly because this was a second chance. I can appreciate being able to do things - watch the sunrise and sunsets, listen to music, still have friends and family. I have a new patience. It's a great life. I've always looked at the world as a great place to live. The injury hasn't changed that.

I grew up in southwest Texas, El Paso, and stayed there while I was growing up - until I was 18. I pretty much have traveled since then. I have nine brothers and sisters. I worked the fields as a kid, and we worked as migrants during the winters in California picking vegetables, and summers in Texas picking strawberries. I got used to traveling, following the season, so when I got older I just continued. I was pretty ordinary as a kid.

I got to the 10th grade in school and dropped out. I had been working part time since I was 14, and my friends were already working factory jobs and making money, so why not do it full time? I had been working for a distributor on the weekends, making better money than my friends, and I could go full time if I wanted: I was 17. So much for school. I know it sounds foolish, but you know how teenagers are.

 HOME FOR A VISIT

My parents did well in raising ten kids. We are still a close knit family. I had a chance to visit them a couple of months ago: most of them still live near El Paso. They're married and have kids themselves. We had dinners, barbecues, and even went swimming. I can't really swim, but I can float.

It was the first time many of them saw me since the accident. They thought I was comatose and were surprised I could talk and think. They were expecting the worst - that I couldn't do anything on my own. I wanted to make a point and show how much I could do. I needed a little help, but I proved myself to them. I was a little frightened by the plane ride on the way there, but I did it, and my parents were proud that I could come home by myself. I felt everyone was looking at me while I fed myself, mostly dressed myself, and brushed my teeth. When my parents last saw me in March, right after the accident, I couldn't do much of anything: I still was intubated, had bad pneumonia, and all of that. So they were real pleased to see me looking better.

If you've had good rehab and are motivated, you learn a little every day and can do more things. I've not only improved physically, so I can do more things, but I'm getting better at reading, writing and spelling. I know I'm a quad and I better learn to live with it. Yeah, there are things you just can't do, but you've got to try: be creative. I tried for two hours yesterday to get to a dollar bill I dropped. You become more determined. You also learn to break down activities into real small pieces. So it took me two hours, but I got that dollar!

My rehab worked because of the devotion and knowledge of the staff of the Rehabilitation Center. They had the right answers, or the best answers they could give you, and let you take it from there. Good doctors and nurses tell you what to avoid to keep healthy, what medications to take, what fluids. How to avoid complications like UTI's through bowel and bladder management. You have to adjust to other people helping you with personal care, like bowel movements, dressing, and learning to eat.

I have one primary aide, Sheila. She comes to my apartment at 6:00 A.M. and 6:00 P.M. and stays for two hours every day. I have three or four other aides that also come during the week. They mop, clean, sweep, cook meals, give me a shower, do my bladder and bowel management. I have to be assertive with the aides. You've got to stay on top of the game. If you don't, they will slack off, and if they slack off you're in trouble: they don't come on time, or don't do things the way I want them. You have to know who can do what.

Some aides need instruction and feedback. You have to be clear and scheduled, be organized. They can do a lot beyond just physical care: they can make your life happier and more complete. But you have to utilize their skills. You have to take the time to instruct new aides, give them a clear picture of your expectations and routine. And you have to be organized: get them in, do their work, and get them out. You're authorized two hours, but if they get their work done in one, then they have an extra hour - that's O.K., you both win. It won't always work. If you can't communicate then you have to let them go, just like any employer.

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