More CarePages Posts

I was going through some papers the other day and found a notebook where someone had printed off my CarePages records. I had forgotten the thing completely. Basically, my dad created the thing to keep himself sane and keep everyone in the loop on my progress. It really took me back, and showed me how far I've come. I thought maybe I would share a few bits with you from dad's posts and some of the encouraging comments that were left by friends, loved ones, and total strangers...

"Hey Ryan,

I am just returning to civilization...I have been in Bagdad....Kentucky, working at camp! I heard about the accident and wanted to leave you a message to let you know I was thinking about you and also to continue our POKE WAR...POKE! I didn't know if you were home or still at the Drake Center so if I could get an address I want to send ya some stuff. I am thinking about you and praying for you! Glad to hear that you are better and that you are still you... you know, the Coolest DJ alive and the sweetest!" - Jennifer Belcher, 23 June 2007

"Transfer class was good. Suzie has the patience of Job. She is cute, very nice, and soft spoken. She also seems to appreciate Ryan's attitude and his sense of humor. Ryan did very well transferring into our little car. It was no easy or small task! He had trouble figuring out the mechanics of it all... where to grab, what to do first, etc. but Suzie coached him, Ryan never lost his patience and soon he had mastered the task." - Ryan's Mom, 06 July 2007

"Ryan! We're all very excited that you'll be able to go home soon. I know that is probably a little scary too! Just stay on target so that you get to head home on time - drink plenty of water! Hang in there! Congratulations on the car transfer - we're really proud of you!" - Niki Engle-Cecil, 07 July 2007

"In OT, we went upstairs to the kitchen and Ryan cooked his chicken soup that Aunt Beverly sent -used the bowls to serve it and also baked blueberry muffins. He did really well except he couldn't reach the water at the sink with both hands. His fine culinary skills though are still in tact, not to worry!" - Ryan's Mom, 09 July 2007

"Hello smiley, MMMMMMMMMMMM when is the next meal? You can cook for me anytime, I'll send the menu. Can't reach the faucet to wash dishes? No problem. Dishwashers work wonders! (hah)

Great Job, I am very proud of you,

You have come a long way,

YOu take care

Love Ya" - Beverly Webster, 09 July 2007

"I also saw cards from Patricia, Rebekah, Aunt Beverly, President Taylor (UotC), River of Life UMC in Addison, OH and his Grandma, Papa, and Karen. -Those are just the ones I remember! Thanks to all of you who have sent cards, letters, packages, and carepage messages. It has made a tremendous difference and we just can't thank you enough." - Ryan's Mom, 10 July 2007

"Yippe! It's almost tomorrow (or probably is already tomorrow somewhere in the world) so hang in there, you're almost home! Make Shari stop by and get you some ice cream on the way home just to make the ride more pleasant. It was great seeing you last Friday. especially in that hot pink chair! Keep up the good work, you can do it!" - Kristy Adams, 11 July 2007

"Well we did it, the little brat is home!

Yesterday was a bit of a challenge but we made it...seems dear old dad thought of darn near everything......except the closer on the back storm door. We had to take a small time out to dismantle it whoda thunk that thing sticking out 2 inches from the door frame would be enough to keep the kid out of his house. But alas we got him in. Ryan was home about 2 hours yesterday and he said the therapists warned him that going home was a whole new ballgame and that there would be challenges at every turn. After navigating our 1900's era doorways and the carpet floor he said he now understands what the therapy babes meant." - Ryan's Dad, 13 July 2007

There are till lots more, after this one.. I could go for weeks!

Feel Good Post #1

I was going through some papers today and found a notebook where someone had printed off my CarePages records. I had forgotten the thing completely. Basically, my dad created the thing to keep himself sane and keep everyone in the loop on my progress. It really took me back, and showed me how far I've come. I thought maybe I would share a few bits with you from dad's posts and some of the encouraging comments that were left by friends, loved ones, and total strangers...

"This is Ryan's Dad... creating this page for two reasons 1. To keep you informed of Ryan's progress....2. To allow me a way to keep myself from going mad dealing with all this." - Ryan's Dad, 02 June 2007

"Monday brought a few challenges for Ryan....When they got him up to face the day he got a bit light headed and dizzy.....common problems for those with spinal cord injuries. He did sit in his wheelchair for about an hour before calling it a day." - Ryan's Dad, 04 June 2007

"Hello friend!!!! How are you doing today! I just wanted to let you know I was thinking about you. Take care. I love you!!!" - Liz Risner-Fister, 04 June 2007

"Tuesday..... just talked with my mom, she and my sis in law Paula spent the day with Ryan giving me some time off to get things prepared for his eventual return home. Mom said he had a pretty good day other than a lot of pain in his sternum poor little bugger is still healing too and not gracefully" - Ryan's Dad, 05 June 2007

"Hey Ryan!!I hope you are having a great day today! Just thought you'd like to know that we are getting approximately 9,243.24 phonecalls each day in student services from people who love you and are checking on you!! :) We are thinking of you and praying for you!" - Jordan Patton-Skiles, 05 June 2007

"Tomorrow is going to be a day Ryan has been waiting for. They have promised him a SHOWER. I know its gross but we figured out today he has not had a proper scrubbing since May 21st....that explains the funky smell in his room. Even Elvis was beginning to complain." -Ryan's Dad, 20 June 2007

"FROM THE RYAN!
Special Shoutouts are in order to those who are keeping me off the crummy hospital food:
Grandma Little with pie, pizza, and sex cookies
Grandma Creech with the peanut butter fudge
The Webster clan with Goldfish crackers, soup, Cheezits, and other tasty treats
and most recently...
My ladies at student services, who sent a care package including fudge, cookies, brownies, and some tasty looking bread,
I have lost almost 50 pounds since I got hurt, but you people are going to remedy that..." - Ryan, 23 June 2007

I'll add some more tomorrow. I love you people.

KARRN Convention

So, this week I was invited to the Kentucky Appalachian Rural Rehabilitation Network's second annual Spinal Cord Rehabilitation Conference in Somerset, KY at the Center for Rural Development. The trip was really cool, and the place was packed out with doctors, therapists, students, and counselors who work in the rehab field. We had a lot of fun!

The first speaker was a Dr. Deborah Backus, who works for Emory College and for the Shepard Center, which are national centers for research and innovation for spinal cord injuries. Dr. Backus took us on a journey down the spinal cord, explaining how each level of injury manifests in the person and how it affects their ability to participate in the community. I learned a few things, one of the most interesting was the revelation that at my injury level (the T6-T7 region), damage to the parasympathetic nervous system can short out your body's ability to self-regulate temperature. I thought I was having hot flashes and cold spells, but it turns out it is likely a result of my injury. I learned last year that parasympathetic nervous system damage also causes elevated cholesterol and other health issues. Dr. Backus knew her stuff, and it was a pretty neat little presentation.

Next up to the podium was Ms. Susan Bachner of Susan Bachner Consulting. Her firm does home modifications for aging in place, disability, mobility issues, or basic universal design. They do some really neat stuff, and in fact, I have asked her to come look at my house and see what she thinks. Ms. Bachner discussed lots of technology and other doo-dads that can make life easier for those with disabilities, whether at home or out in the world. She also discussed the concept of 'visit-Ability'; that is, making your home accessible so that you can be visited by folks in wheelchairs. In essence, she believes that we could all end up in that place some day, as could a family member, so why not build all houses to be friendly to wheelchair users?

After a little break, three of us with disabilities sat on a panel. We discussed our experiences living in rural areas while coping with disability, and we took questions from members of the audience. It was a whole lot of fun, and a good way for some of the therapists (and especially students) to get some insight on what life is like in the outsde world.

Lunch was catered. Had lunch with my crippleologist, Dr. Sara Salles, and David Brough, who has been following me ever since my wreck; he stalked me at Pitt in North Carolina and followed me to Lexington. Topics of discussion included secondary effects of the Atkins diet, as well as a certain blonde doctor who shall remain nameless. And clueless. Bless her heart.

After lunch we had a bunch of breakout sessions. There was a session on recreation activities, one that showcased fancy vehicle technologies, and one that was a presentation on modifying your home to be more useful to you on a shoestring budget. The guy who taught that one is a favorite therapist of mine at the Hill, Keith Grewe. What a nut.

We saw these really cool vehicles at the show. There was the classic truck-with-a-crane-in-the-back, a tractor that had been modified with a seat lift and joystick controls, a Braun Rampvan, and this thing over here in the picture. It is a new concept, and it costs about 25 grand. It does, however, let you drive your truck. The door is on an actuator and slides out, along with a platform that lowers to the ground. Simply back a wheelchair into the automatic locking mechanism and raise the platform. the door and platform slide back into the truck, and the driver is ready to drive, still seating in their chair. It was probably the very coolest vehicle conversion I have ever seen in my whole life. Brand new it retails for about $52,000, which is a bit out of my price range, but it would be a really cool thing to have for someone who really needs a truck.

All in all, it was a really neat little convention. I hope that they ask us back next year, I think we did a nice job and it is something that I'd love to continue my involvement in. They are going to post video and audio through UK, I'll add a link when that comes in.

Cripple Equipment 101 - The Backpack

In my post the other day, I mentioned a story about a northern Ohio woman who was caught shoplifting at a Kohl's department store. The article states that the woman had several items of clothing on her person and in her backpack, attempting to smuggle the items out of the store. I kinda find this scary, because you just never know what kind of reaction this even might get from store owners around the country...

The backpack is an essential accessory for the on-the-go paraplegic. I have two kid-sized ones that I bought on clearance at Old Navy; I have also been known to carry a small gym bag and even a fanny pack a few times.

What makes the backpack so important? It gives the paraplegic a freedom from worrying about their destination. In my backpack, I carry everything I need to convert any place I may visit into a cripple-friendly zone.

Standard backpack equipment might include catheters and cath accessories, like lubricant, anti-bacterial wipes, and hand sanitizer. I also like to carry an empty plastic bottle for use as a makeshift urinal; be sure to choose something with a tight-fitting lid in case you can't get to a toilet to empty it. Other things to include in your bag might be a "chucks pad" or other disposable bedpad, a spare of any diapers, pads, or other neurogenic supplies. I also carry a pair of wheelchair gloves in my pack, a fresh bottle of water to drink, and any medical papers that could be important if I have to be taken to the hospital, such as information about my baclofen pump and other meds along with my insurance and emergency contact information.

Depending on the situation, you may also want to use your pack to bring along a snack, emergency cell phone charger, a change of clothes, etc. With a well-packed backpack, you can be ready for whatever this crazy cripple-hating world throws at ya.

Links of the Week

Hi there, readers! Here is a collection of interesting articles on the internet this week for the lesserly abled... Read the excerpts and follow the links to see what the buzz is all about!

First: The good... part of an article series about how we cripples really feel about shopping...

"When a person with a disability is checking out, go ahead and ask them if they want help taking their groceries to their car, just like you ask everyone else. But then please be prepared to accept their answer, no matter what it is. Some shoppers with disabilities will want help. Others will not want help.

If a shopper with a disability indicates they do not want help getting their groceries to their car, don't try to talk them into it. None of this “Are you sure?” business. If I need and want help, I will answer yes the first time."

http://www.summitdaily.com/article/20100607/NEWS/100609872/

Next, the bad... A Lorain, Ohio woman is arrested for shoplifting, and is claiming that her disability will keep her out of jail. I think this sets an awful example... I know that many disabled folks, including myself, carry a backpack when we go places. It's not for stealing, it's for holding things... I plan to do a post later this week on my backpack and the kinds of things that I use it for. At any rate, I have never once been asked to leave my bag at the front of a store or searched as I was leaving, and I'd like very much to keep it that way. Mind you, I would have no problem giving the thing up to a storeowner just trying to keep things open, but the fact that I don't get looked at suspiciously just for having it on is a good thing.

"A 19-year-old Lorain woman cited for shoplifting boasted she would not go to jail because she is in a wheelchair due to being shot in the back while stealing from cars in Avon, according to a Lorain police report."

http://www.morningjournal.com/articles/2010/06/08/news/mj2853072.txt

And finally, the ugly. A woman in the Boston area is in an argument over a parking ticket or being parked illegally in a handicapped spot. Now, I am a big fan of handicapped parking, but I try not to use it unless I am someplace where I can't double park (people NEVER leave enough room for my wheelchair despite a big sign on the side of my car) or can't get on the sidewalk (Are curb cutouts really that much of a difficulty to put in?) At any rate, this woman is trying to plead cripple, and I stand with the courts against her; just get your dang paperwork folks. They give handicapped placards away like Pez; if you can get one for having asthma or weak ankles, then you can surely get one if you don't get around so good.

"“It’s her option now to appeal that,” Bennett said. “But she should pay the fine. The spot was labeled. She chose to ignore it. Ignorance of the law does not give you the right to park in a handicapped spot,” he said. “If she had documentation that she was handicapped, she could have gone to Town Hall and gotten a temporary placard.”"

http://news.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1259429&format=text

There we go! Feel free to discuss amongst yourselves!

Open letter to my fellow paraplegics (and my friends and junk)...

You know, I recently celebrated an anniversary that I lot of people don't have, a very special day in my life that is worth honoring and remembering. It wasn't the date I got together with my beautiful girlfriend, nor was it the date I graduated from college. I wasn't my first kiss anniversary, the anniversary of being dumped by my ex-fiancée, or even a remembrance of the time I totaled out my first car. Two weeks ago, I celebrated my third year in a wheelchair.

My 'cripple-versary', as I like to call it, is not a sad or downhearted time; rather, it is a chance to embrace my paraplegic self, and to look back at all I have overcome. It is empowering to look back on the things I have done over the past three years, from daily living activities (you people have no idea how hard it truly is to put on jeans) to great quality of life things (like visiting the beach or going to the movies), ad even exciting things, the type that make people ooh and ahh over you and talk about how much you've had to overcome (newspaper interviews, full-time job, Master's classes, that trip to Dollywood).

Not only that, but it provides a time for me to reflect, and bring things back home. God did some pretty cool stuff for me. I should have died in that ATV accident; the doctors said so, the nurses said so, even my stepdad's 3-year-old said so. I was given another chance, a second incarnation, if you will; a chance to be better, to do more, to make more of a difference than I ever had before.

Looking back, I'd like to think I've done just that.

This month, I will reach a year and a half of full time work at the same job. I will be heading to Columbus, Ohio, nearly 300 miles from home, to speak to 3 ginormous church services about the importance of faith and the fruits of the spirit. My girlfriend and I will make the fourth payment on our beautiful house. For the third year in a row, I'll be a leader in my church's vacation bible school activities.

So with all of that in just one month, what could I possibly do to top it off?

Well, here's the plan. I created this blog originally because I remembered how hard it was to find information when I was a baby paraplegic. There is lots of info out there for walkies, sure, and plenty of resources for the fully paralyzed, but what about the rest of us? We fall in between. It is really tough to find a site that addresses issues important to the young, active, life-loving paraplegic. I hope to be able to use my blog to help the next class to come along, to maybe inspire, at least educate, and to share my personal experiences with you all.

So, strap in tight, and grab your eye and ear protection: you are entering a no-bull zone! I'll be here each week with a new post, and more often as I see fit, addressing everything from clothes and food to diaper pails and catheters. I'll tell you where to go, what to do while you're there, and how to do it. We'll look at contemporary issues facing the disabled today, and at just how far we've come since the Dark Ages (before the ADA).

Here we go!