Today marked the six year "anniversary" of my accident. It's certainly not an anniversary worth celebrating, but one that is impossible to ever forget, or ignore. This year brought with it a twist of surprise, and added sentimental value. Six years ago, one simple mistake, would change my life forever. If my accident has taught me anything, it is how very unpredictable life can be.
This year, marks the first completion of the weekly cycle. Meaning, this is the first year, since my accident, where the date, and day it falls on, is the same as on my accident. My accident happened in the very early hours, of Sunday, June 5th, 2005. This year, June 5th, also landed on a Sunday. Last night, I couldn't help but feel an added twinge of grief, as I replayed the memories of that "fateful" Saturday night, where my life got flipped upside down. To this day, I'm unsure of the precise time of my accident, but know the first hours of that Sunday, were spent in the Emergency room, terrified of what was happening, and in shock of what I'd done. That weekend, my last hours on my feet, and my first few hours paralyzed, will forever be etched into my mind. It is a day I wish I could scrub from memory.
Ever since the moment my neck snapped, I have been replaying those last few memories, on my feet, in my head, and fantasizing how different my life might be, if I had never gone to that party, never drunk, or never dove. I have reviewed, replayed, relived, analyzed, questioned, and scrutinized every second, of that final day on my feet. I have beat myself up, and find it hard to be forgiving, to myself, for my foolish actions. I have wondered, "What if..." to a million different scenarios, and have searched in vain for reasons, or self explanations, for why I chose to do, what I did. The lists go on, and on: we should've never gone to that party, I should've never drank, I should've had more to eat, I should've waited to go swimming, I should've used the ladder, I should've never dove. Each action, seems more stupid, worse and irresponsible than the one before it. The truth is, there are no reasons, or good explanations, and even if there were, it wouldn't change the outcome.
Although I never intended to do harm to myself, or anyone, my actions that day, have caused me, and my loved ones a tremendous amount of pain and grief. The combination of many common mistakes, resulted in a gigantic disaster. One moment I was happily, enjoying a self sufficient adult life, the next I was crippled beyond saving. I went from having everything I wanted, to my worst nightmare, overnight. While my life has been the most permanently effected, my accident has had a rippling effect, on everyone that was closest to me, at the time of the accident.
My accident created a horrible strain on my relationships, with many of the people I love. The sheer magnitude of loss, the fear of the uncertain, and the reality of the irreversible nature of my injury, effected everyone I love. The Christina I was, died the day of my accident, and it's been a very bumpy rode, living a completely new reality, being a completely new person. My accident has changed the way I can interact with the people I love, and has forced limitations on what I can do, and how much of a role I can play, in the lives of my family and friends. I've had to come to terms with my new life, and they've had to come to terms with the new me.
My family and friends have at times been my biggest obstacle, while at other times my biggest supporters. I have had many fights, falling outs, and disagreements, with the people closest to me. Thankfully, most of my relationships have stood the test of time, and have whethered this storm, called paralysis. Most of my loved ones have stayed right along side me, through laughs and tears, through thick and through thin. Although they might not all get along with one another, or see eye to eye, they have put aside their differences and rallied behind me. I am so grateful for my family and friends. I feel so blessed, to have so many people that love, and support me.
The rode has been especially difficult, these last couple of years, and I know for sure, I'd be long dead, if it were not for the many loving hands and hearts, that prop me up, and give me strength. There are a few people, that I have lost through this all, and for them, all I can say is sorry. I wish I knew a way to fix my mistakes, or how to repay them. It makes me sad, to think I am missing out, on being a part of their lives, and vice versa. All I can do, is try my best, with whatever time I have left.
2,190 days ago, I thought by now I'd be married to Jimmy, we'd have a couple of kids and I'd be a veteran teacher. I never thought for a moment, that life could throw me a curve ball, or that life would not fall into place, like I had planned. I thought I'd be healthy, and able to care for myself, until I was old and grey. The future seemed brighter than ever, and full of a million possibilities. I was the happiest I had ever been.
2,191 days ago, my entire life was crumbling in front of me, and my future was terrifyingly uncertain. I was newly paralyzed. I was vulnerable and scared. I was in and out of consciousness, and on the verge of death. I knew I might lose everything. I was in tremendous pain, and utter shock. I couldn't imagine a worse situation, a worse moment. I prayed with all my being, that somehow things would be ok. My loved ones were fighting, blaming, and fracturing. I didn't know who to turn to, or what to do.
Today, was not how ever imagined it to be; not during my best, or worst days. I spent the day with Jimmy, my exboyfriend. It was bittersweet, and strangely ironic, spending today with him. It was a mix of extreme high, and extreme low emotions, for both of us, as we remembered a day that changed both our lives, forever. Although we are no longer together, we will always love each other, and share a special bond. He is still one of my closest, dearest friends, with whom I feel I can be most open. He is the one that saved my life, that night, and pulled me from the water. Even though we split (romantically) months after my accident, we have been perpetually drawn back to one another, over these past six years. My accident has changed us both in profound ways, but despite everything, we share a bond, unlike any other.
Six years ago, I had bought him a birthday cake, that we had planned to share together, that coming Monday (6/6/2005), in celebration of his twenty third birthday. Those plans, like so many others, were ruined, and never came to fruition, because of my accident. I have always felt like my accident stained his birthday, with such a horrible memory. I have always wished things could've turned out differently for us, and that we would be able to share a happy memory, for his birthday. Today that wish came true.
Although today was not the ideal day, of how I wished to be spending Jimmy's birthday, I was thankful nonetheless. I feel blessed to have him back in my life, even if it's just as friends. Of course, I'll always wish for more; for both of us. However, I've come to accept my reality, for what it is, and know no amount of wishing can make it be, what I want it to be. I tried my best to enjoy our time together, despite my longings, and limitations. I tried to savor what I could, and be glad to have sitting beside me.
I don't know what the future holds for me, for Jimmy, or "us" for that matter. I gave up trying to predict the future a long time ago. All I know is that, despite my cold sweats, and relentless chills, I was able to have a few laughs, and enjoy seeing his smile. It felt good, taking a bite into a piece of his birthday cake, and for as much as it stung, to not be able to do everything I wished we could be doing, I am so glad we spent today together. Today was a day of closure, and an opportunity to create a positive memory. I hope we can make a few more happy memories together, before this life is over.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Showing posts with label planning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label planning. Show all posts
Monday, June 6, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
Planning Ahead, Because You Never Know.
I've been doing a lot of research lately, and thinking about my wishes, in the event I get sick, and/or die. I realize this subject matter seems morbid, especially among my peers (people in their late 20's, early 30's), but after everything I've been through, I know how important it is to consider these types of things, and put your wishes down in writing. Reality is, life is unpredictable and it doesn't matter how young, or healthy you are, for life to take a drastic change. Spinal cord injuries, diseases (like MS, Parkinson's, ALS & Guillain-Barre), traumatic brain injuries, or tumors are all examples of things that can hit a person off guard, and severely change a person's life, practically overnight. I think once a person turns eighteen, everyone should seriously consider creating a living will.
Shortly after my accident (I was twenty-four), I needed help, to take care of all of my financial responsibilities, notifying my employer (I had a few weeks left of teaching, before summer break, and had lined up a bar tending job for the summer, which I was supposed to begin that following Tuesday), canceling a cosmetic procedure I had scheduled for the end of that month, breaking my lease, packing up my things, selling my car and closing down my apartment. Obviously, since I was an adult and unmarried at the time, I had to authorize someone to make decisions for me, and give them permission to handle all of my affairs. I chose to give power of attorney to my parents (dad & stepmom). They made a lot of choices, and did a lot of things that I was unpleased with. At the time, I was in no state to be fighting, was terrified, and in shock. My whole life that I had built, up until that point, came crumbling down, at lighting speed. It sent shockwaves through my entire family, and the burden of it all created a tremendous amount of stress, and grief for everyone involved. It created a ton of tension (putting it mildly) between my parents, myself, my boyfriend and my mother and my stepdad's family. Many horrible words were said, and tears were shed. To this day, it has created a wedge between me, and certain members of my family.
Although I'll never agree with many of the things my parents said and did, I do recognize that they were under an insane amount of pressure and put in an extremely awkward position, by having my life, literally dumped into their hands overnight. They had to process losing the daughter they always knew, and the realization that all my dreams would be shattered forever. They knew, as did I, that they were the only ones in the position to take care of everything that needed to be done, on top of maintaining the responsibilities of their own lives (house, jobs, bills, etc.). It was a horrible situation, for everyone involved. Looking back, I wish I would've thought about my wishes, quality of life, and have put those wishes in writing. My parents never asked for the burdens my accident created, and I never want to go through the heart ache and misery that I went through. They handled my affairs much differently than I would have, and it caused me a lot of additional suffering. That said, I think they did they best they could, at the time. Everyone deals with trauma differently, and I try to always remind myself that I backed them into a corner. Someone had to take care of it all, and as an adult, I couldn't just give POA to everyone close to me. They were my closest next of kin, that was capable of doing any of the big issues, that needed to get done. I never want to have to place that type of burden, on ANYONE, ever again. My life is my "mess."
I also don't ever want to be in the vulnerable position of having to have other people make decisions that greatly impact my life. I don't want to place the burden of making those heavy decisions on my loved ones, and put them in the position of guilt, or blame, because they do something wrong, or go against my wishes. I also don't want my loved ones to be in the dark, or possibly pitted against one another (which did happen) because they don't know what my wishes are, and have to guess, or wing it. If I had seriously thought about worst case scenarios, and had had a living will, and an emergency plan put in place, I could've avoided myself & my family A TON of heartache and drama. As for me, I could've spared myself the hell that living with paralysis has been. I could've died, back then, when I was still in ICU, running ridiculously high fevers, and hooked up to life support. Death would've been very easy then.
I clung onto life, the first year or so after my accident, out of fear, shame and ignorance. I was terrified by the thought of death, because I hadn't accepted the notion of my life never going back, to the way it was. I had false hope, and denial over the realities of my situation. I was also (still am) ashamed at my mistake, and how stupidly I'd destroyed my life, and ruined everything I had worked so hard to build. I think I was in a numb state, of grief and denial. Hope of a cure and belief in the power of my will helped me make it through the hospital and nursing home. Reality has set in for me, and this life is not a life I would've chosen, if I had TRULY believed what the doctors had told me. I just wanted so badly to fix my mistake, and make everything better again. I really thought if I tried hard enough, I could beat the odds, and be a miracle. In that respect, I've been a complete failure, to myself, and have never felt as though I have redeemed myself for all that my mistake took from me, and all the pain I put my loved ones through.
I've made many conscious efforts since then, to take control back over as much responsibility as I possibly can, and make arrangements so that the next time I go knocking at death's door, my family will have the least amount of burden possible, and I have the peace of mind, in knowing MY wishes will be carried out. There are people in my shoes (and worse) that find satisfaction with their lives, as quadriplegics. I don't. To each his own. Personally, I don't feel this is a quality life. There are certain measures, or extremes that I'm not willing to endure to sustain the life (not on top of my already difficult situation), like having a tracheotomy, or colostomy. I refuse to live that way, and have laid out the dos and don'ts, for when I can no longer speak for myself. I have a living will (which I think every adult should have), so none of my loved ones will ever have to guess, or stress, over making decisions that effect my quality of life. I have a last will & testament, so I know, the right people will get what I want them to get. There won't be any room for fighting, or debating, because I've laid everything out, regrinding my possessions, and what I want to happen with my remains.
We don't currently have a program in NJ, but several states have initiated POLST (Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatments) programs, where patients can work in conjunction with their physician, to create a plan of action, or non action, based on the patient's wishes. They can serve in conjunction with a living will, and clearly spell out issues like, feeding tubes, IV hydration, pain medications, and other life sustaining machinery and treatments. I think it's worthwhile for everyone to take the time to consider these types of issues, for themselves, and put them in writing. Living wills, and last will & testaments are easy to create, and relatively inexpensive. It is well worth the ten, or twenty minutes it takes to fill one out. You never know when you might need one, and it's better for you (and for the sake of your loved ones) to have one put in place in the event something happens, and you can't speak for yourself. It's also important to be able to discuss your wishes openly, with your loved ones and doctors. You should make sure you know your rights and simple documents, like living wills, POLSTs and last wills, can ensure your rights are protects, and your wishes are carried out. Food for thought.
Info on POLSTs- http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703327404576194942197661606.html?mod=WSJ_LifeStyle_Lifestyle_6
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Shortly after my accident (I was twenty-four), I needed help, to take care of all of my financial responsibilities, notifying my employer (I had a few weeks left of teaching, before summer break, and had lined up a bar tending job for the summer, which I was supposed to begin that following Tuesday), canceling a cosmetic procedure I had scheduled for the end of that month, breaking my lease, packing up my things, selling my car and closing down my apartment. Obviously, since I was an adult and unmarried at the time, I had to authorize someone to make decisions for me, and give them permission to handle all of my affairs. I chose to give power of attorney to my parents (dad & stepmom). They made a lot of choices, and did a lot of things that I was unpleased with. At the time, I was in no state to be fighting, was terrified, and in shock. My whole life that I had built, up until that point, came crumbling down, at lighting speed. It sent shockwaves through my entire family, and the burden of it all created a tremendous amount of stress, and grief for everyone involved. It created a ton of tension (putting it mildly) between my parents, myself, my boyfriend and my mother and my stepdad's family. Many horrible words were said, and tears were shed. To this day, it has created a wedge between me, and certain members of my family.
Although I'll never agree with many of the things my parents said and did, I do recognize that they were under an insane amount of pressure and put in an extremely awkward position, by having my life, literally dumped into their hands overnight. They had to process losing the daughter they always knew, and the realization that all my dreams would be shattered forever. They knew, as did I, that they were the only ones in the position to take care of everything that needed to be done, on top of maintaining the responsibilities of their own lives (house, jobs, bills, etc.). It was a horrible situation, for everyone involved. Looking back, I wish I would've thought about my wishes, quality of life, and have put those wishes in writing. My parents never asked for the burdens my accident created, and I never want to go through the heart ache and misery that I went through. They handled my affairs much differently than I would have, and it caused me a lot of additional suffering. That said, I think they did they best they could, at the time. Everyone deals with trauma differently, and I try to always remind myself that I backed them into a corner. Someone had to take care of it all, and as an adult, I couldn't just give POA to everyone close to me. They were my closest next of kin, that was capable of doing any of the big issues, that needed to get done. I never want to have to place that type of burden, on ANYONE, ever again. My life is my "mess."
I also don't ever want to be in the vulnerable position of having to have other people make decisions that greatly impact my life. I don't want to place the burden of making those heavy decisions on my loved ones, and put them in the position of guilt, or blame, because they do something wrong, or go against my wishes. I also don't want my loved ones to be in the dark, or possibly pitted against one another (which did happen) because they don't know what my wishes are, and have to guess, or wing it. If I had seriously thought about worst case scenarios, and had had a living will, and an emergency plan put in place, I could've avoided myself & my family A TON of heartache and drama. As for me, I could've spared myself the hell that living with paralysis has been. I could've died, back then, when I was still in ICU, running ridiculously high fevers, and hooked up to life support. Death would've been very easy then.
I clung onto life, the first year or so after my accident, out of fear, shame and ignorance. I was terrified by the thought of death, because I hadn't accepted the notion of my life never going back, to the way it was. I had false hope, and denial over the realities of my situation. I was also (still am) ashamed at my mistake, and how stupidly I'd destroyed my life, and ruined everything I had worked so hard to build. I think I was in a numb state, of grief and denial. Hope of a cure and belief in the power of my will helped me make it through the hospital and nursing home. Reality has set in for me, and this life is not a life I would've chosen, if I had TRULY believed what the doctors had told me. I just wanted so badly to fix my mistake, and make everything better again. I really thought if I tried hard enough, I could beat the odds, and be a miracle. In that respect, I've been a complete failure, to myself, and have never felt as though I have redeemed myself for all that my mistake took from me, and all the pain I put my loved ones through.
I've made many conscious efforts since then, to take control back over as much responsibility as I possibly can, and make arrangements so that the next time I go knocking at death's door, my family will have the least amount of burden possible, and I have the peace of mind, in knowing MY wishes will be carried out. There are people in my shoes (and worse) that find satisfaction with their lives, as quadriplegics. I don't. To each his own. Personally, I don't feel this is a quality life. There are certain measures, or extremes that I'm not willing to endure to sustain the life (not on top of my already difficult situation), like having a tracheotomy, or colostomy. I refuse to live that way, and have laid out the dos and don'ts, for when I can no longer speak for myself. I have a living will (which I think every adult should have), so none of my loved ones will ever have to guess, or stress, over making decisions that effect my quality of life. I have a last will & testament, so I know, the right people will get what I want them to get. There won't be any room for fighting, or debating, because I've laid everything out, regrinding my possessions, and what I want to happen with my remains.
We don't currently have a program in NJ, but several states have initiated POLST (Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatments) programs, where patients can work in conjunction with their physician, to create a plan of action, or non action, based on the patient's wishes. They can serve in conjunction with a living will, and clearly spell out issues like, feeding tubes, IV hydration, pain medications, and other life sustaining machinery and treatments. I think it's worthwhile for everyone to take the time to consider these types of issues, for themselves, and put them in writing. Living wills, and last will & testaments are easy to create, and relatively inexpensive. It is well worth the ten, or twenty minutes it takes to fill one out. You never know when you might need one, and it's better for you (and for the sake of your loved ones) to have one put in place in the event something happens, and you can't speak for yourself. It's also important to be able to discuss your wishes openly, with your loved ones and doctors. You should make sure you know your rights and simple documents, like living wills, POLSTs and last wills, can ensure your rights are protects, and your wishes are carried out. Food for thought.
Info on POLSTs- http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703327404576194942197661606.html?mod=WSJ_LifeStyle_Lifestyle_6
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
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