Yes, but I didnt mean to say that the “you’re lucky” comments came as a result of anything SPECIFIC to the events of my “story”, rather just as response to being told that I was indeed in an accident. My story is much too long and complicated to tell people in brief chit chat that I meet/run in to during the course of my day. So in those instances I just say that I was in a car accident (not untrue).
I was in a car accident in 2000 at the age of 20. I ruptured my aorta in the car accident. The accident happened in Flint, Mi. and I was helicoptered to Detroit to a hospital renowned for cardiovascular treatment/emergencies. It was the emergency surgery to repair the ruptured aorta that paralyzed me. To treat the aorta (which supplies blood from your heart to the rest of your body) a clamp was placed on the ruptured section, in order to stop the bleeding and sew it back together. Well while that clamp was on, no blood or oxygen was travelling from the point of the clamp on down (including my spinal cord). The safe time limit for an aortic clamp is 30min. Any time exceeding 30min puts the patient at risk for permanent nerve damage. My clamp was on for 62min.
When I woke up in the ER a few days later (I had suffered a concussion as well), I thought I could walk. I could feel everything and no one was telling me I was paralyzed. That was because the doctors didn’t know. They had to wait and see just like I did. The risk for damage was known but the actual extent of damage done wasn’t able to be determined until I showed that myself. The paralysis is of a type known as “ischemic” paralysis. This is paralzyis due to blood loss, differing from blunt trauma paralysis which involves a severing of the spinal cord.
It has left me with many unique attributes and issues relating to my disability. “Blessed but Cursed” is the most apt description of my life in so many ways. On one hand, I don’t have to deal with many of the chronic hardships and health issues that are commonplace with SCI (spinal cord injury). I dont catheterize, I don’t suffer from spasms, I have full sensation and I have full sexual function. However, the issues I DO face are issues I must deal with basically on my own. I don’t want to take up TOO much time here, so I wont go into too much about those issues but they have forced me to be my own strongest advocate. Because if I’m not, no one will be.
*An added wrinkle to this story is I was paralyzed due to malpractice. The surgeon who perfomed the aortic surgery had the option of using equipment which would have artificially kept my blood circulating while the clamp was on my aorta. He didn’t use the equipment, suffering from what I call the “God Complex”. If that machine had been used, I, in all likelihood, would not be paralyzed today. But that is not something I hold onto. My life is my life.