Tuesday 16 August 2016

I'm coming home, tell the world I'm coming home!

Ok so it's been give or take (hand gesture) 3.5 weeks since I've been in this rehab, I was sooooo hesitant when I first arrived here with the 'dorm' style set-up and being with people that looked so sick to me at first, but oh my God has it opened my eyes and taught me so much.  I can honestly say I'm a different person because of it and this I will forever be thankful for. 

Among the other things that I have been lucky enough to witness, I see compassion and kindness in measures that you just don't see 'in the outside world'.  I now fully understand what being fragile and vulnerable is.  It's anything but easy and your life can change in an instant and suddenly you could become completely reliant on other people, as with every single person that is here. 

My friends (naturally I made friends with pretty much everyone!  You'll be amazed what a block of butter and some honey will do!) are so brave and are all facing their own demons, each persons story is different and when you sit and listen to them, you realise that this could happen to you to.

I have the utmost respect for each one of them and I can't explain the elation you feel when someone like Nick, the 21 yr old boy who fell from the 3rd floor of a parking garage moved his legs and arms for the first time or said 'Hello Wendy'.  Everyone is so encouraging and there is so much positive energy here, you can't help but get sucked in!

Another amazing guy, I can't remember his name now, but he and his wife were at a car race and they were standing near the finish line, the driver lost control of his car and it ploughed through the barrier and into him and his wife.   Both of them lost both of their legs.  How fucking tragic is that? I've never heard anything like it and I don't think I ever will.  Yet you'll never see him without a smile on his face.  I won't bang on about this for much longer but people in general take SO MUCH for granted, the fact that you can brush your own teeth, that you can get up out of bed in the morning, that you can speak your mind when you need to or enjoy a cuppa chai.  Basic things like this are a MASSIVE struggle for some people.  I'll say it once now and once again at the end just so it sinks in, instead of thinking about what you don't have rather "COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS!".

From my side, my healing is going very well.  The stitches are out and the wound is healing beautifully - they do say I'm a good healer so there you go!  The next step is shaping the stump.  There is hope that I might get my first draft prosthesis by end of September!!!  Very excited and nervous about this stage of the process as I REALLY REALLY want to be able to walk and just be NORMAL again.

Tomorrow I am released back out into the real world, I don't think it has really hit me yet.  I'll tell you one thing that I'm supes stoked about is that the infection in my leg has well and truly gone now and we are FINALLY getting nearer to the end of this fucking story!  298 days later....

I find it difficult to put into words what this whole experience has done for me so far but I have really made some life long friends.  I will miss the nurses calling me Mrs. Reid (my worst), the therapists, the kitchen staff, the cleaners but most of all the other patients and their families.  Each of them plays their own role in each patients recovery.

COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS!








 

1 comment:

  1. You really are amazing Wends, thank you for sharing what you are going thru, counting my blessings thanks for the reminder xxx

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