Life!! How it changes in a split second

Life of a wheelchair user is same as that of any other person with just a few changes in it. I can say this because I am myself on a wheelchair and have just made a few changes in my lifestyle. Basically, I have started to live a little more healthier than I used to do before, just because I need more upper body strength then other people.

As I say this, it has not been that easy of a journey for me also. My actual journey has been a lot difficult with countless visits to the doctors, rehabs and home remedies or as we say in India desi nuske. I had to learn a lot of basic things like sitting straight without support, shifting on wheelchair and other day to day stuff but now I can do everything on my own. No doubt being living in a country where you can get caregiver help at very reasonable price that does not hurt your pocket.

My journey on wheelchair started approximately a year back on the intervening night of 8^th and 9^th of august, 2018. I was coming back home from some work with a few of my colleagues when our car hit a road divider then it over turned flew to the other side and hit another car. As in our country, the emergency response is not well established, I was dragged out my car. Thankfully as the accident took place near my home, by the time I reached the hospital my family was already there.

Being from doctor’s family and as my father started the hospital where I was taken to by the emergency respondents, we knew about the facility. My family shifted me to better hospital nearby. Where I was operated by of the finest doctors of our region. After the operation, I was diagnosed of being paraplegic ASIA A at D9-D10/ T9-T10 level. After my operation I was putted on a ventilator for a day just as a precaution due to the fact that I was having a fracture in my collar bone due to which I was having a little breathing problem.

I was discharged from the hospital a few days later and was on bed for a few months, as here there is very little knowledge about the need of rehabilitation. Like even though I knew about the severity of my injury still I thought that with the help of rehab I would start doing everything like used to do before not with a twist. I still remember when I was talking to one of my friends, they said why are you going to a rehab you are not addicted to something!!!

Fortunately, for me I live in a city which is having very good medical institutions and a very good rehab center specifically for the spinal cord injured persons. When I joined the center, I could not even sit properly and even after wearing brace I needed some support to sit else I would fall back words. It took me around 15 days to 1 month just to be able to sit without the need of having somebodies support to sit.

And now I am have started to take control of my life back. Now I am back to my old self just with a slight twist we can say. I have started going out like I used to. I party, chill with friends, go to work etc.

I would not say that there won’t be days where you will lose hope and get depressed of what has happened. This is the point where you have to pick yourself. I am fortunate to have had very huge support from my family, my sisters in laws, my friends and a very special person.

I have been through a quite few lows but my four main pillars which have gotten me over those would be my parents, my sister, my niece and my special person my better-half.

Everybody says that when a thing like this happens to you the first-person to leave would be your girlfriend but not this girl, she has been by my side from the day one to this day and our love & respect for each other has only grown. Through this I would just like tell you that I love you a lot, I don’t know if I would be able to reciprocate this much back to you or not.

Now what should I say for a person who has been with you from the day you have been born, she is just like my second mom of course the first you all know who it is. Thanks, supporting me and still not giving up on me, also giving me my third pillar. The third one my niece, she is one person who can make me smile anytime. She is the apple of my eye. I am just amazed to see the kind love and understanding she gives to me given she is just 5 years old.

Now what can a person say for his/her parents, I mean how can person love another person so selflessly it’s just amazing.

Now there are few more people who I would like thank would be my brother in law and his family, I mean the kind of support he has given me and my family is just amazing. From being the first respondent from my family till this day he has been there and did everything what an elder brother or parents would do.

I guess for my first time I have written a lot and trust me when I say a lot because for this is also very big thing.

In the end I would just like to say that to reach here the foremost thing required is to stay positive and try to push yourself a little more.

As someone close to me rightly said:

Strength is a choice, Happiness is a choice, Love is a Choice but Life is given to live it but how you live it is a choice. While Happiness is being happy for yourself with the choices you made and being kinder to yourself, trust and respect yourself!!