“Take it easy darling, let your body adjust itself…” Said my mother softly as she supported me.
“Yes, take it easy Jake, you have been through a lot. Let us take of you little brother.” Added Casey.
“Of course I was stubborn like I usually was, I was sitting now so why not try to get out of this bed anyway? I started to focus on my legs… Nothing, maybe I will have to start small? My feet… Nothing, Okay really small this times, my toes… Nothing. It frustrated me, I looked at my mother and sisters with a confused look. From their faces I could see that they knew what I was trying to do, their faces that were now full of sadness and tears not from happiness.”
“And then it struck me, the pieces of the puzzle coming together once more… I let myself fall back onto the matrass again and as I stared at those bright lights I let my own tears roll like I never had before.”
“My mother came up to me and looked deep into my eyes while she softly stroked my hair, “Everything is going to okay sweetie” She said over and over again, her own tears pouring down her face. My sisters held onto me tight as I felt their nails sink into my skin, Casey was comforting Deb who was an emotional mess now.”
“This day… I hoped that I never had to see my family like this ever again.”
*****
“The following month was a rollercoaster of emotions and events. I was diagnosed with Paraplegia, a paralysis that affected both my legs. I was considered very lucky by the doctors because I could still feel and move a small part below my waist, I did not need a catheter because my nether region was still functioning like before. It was a very, very rare condition as most of the people where fully disabled downwards the waist area.”
“My weeks where filled with physical therapy, I had to learn to know my body again from the ground up. It was hard but I never gave up. My mother, like the angel she was, offered to purchase an electrical wheelchair for me and to install a lift onto the stairs at home. As kind as her gesture was I refused, I still had full functioning arms and I would be damned if I didn’t use them, I went with a normal wheelchair and learned how to help myself up and down the stairs on my own.”
“For my family it became a routine to help me out, and they fully did so without any complaint. Mom even managed to be home for a few months out of her work. She was the head-nurse at the very same hospital that I was helped in. Her boss Martin Goodwill, the director of the hospital, had known her since the day he started working there and gave her permission to do so. Mom’s other colleague and good friend Linda Turnell would be taking over her position in the meantime.”
“Casey and Debby helped me as much as possible too. Casey worked from home so she would be available to me at any time of the day, it felt good being together with her. Her behavior had changed back to the way I had always known her and we became close again, closer than ever before. Debby still had her school and sports, she first felt bad for me because she would be away so much. I told her that I wanted her to be free, to not be locked to me because of my condition. She understood and just like with Casey, our bond became even closer.”