Never done this before so I am a total beginner.  I have been disabled since 2002.   Went on a cycling holiday in France and woke up on the third morning with pain and paralysis.   Went to hospital and got transferred the next day to a specialist unit where it took three days to finally find out what had happened.  A blood clot lodged next to my spinal cord had crushed it to about 2 mm thick between T3 and T5.  I spent 2 weeks in hospital in France before being airlifted back to the General Hospital near my home where I spent 3 months in the land of the living dead, i.e. general medical ward.  It was a nightmare and but for the intervention of one of Princess Diana's uncles I think I might still be there!!!  I was transferred to Stoke Mandeville (which is my local rehab unit anyway!!) and was there for the next five months.  Thank God for proper care and concentrated rehab from people who actually knew what they were doing.  

 

Whilst I was there I did everything, physio for a couple of hours, standing, cycling both feet and hands, archery, swimming (unfortunately I am totally freaked out by the water and have not been swimming since I left), wheelchair skills (most of which I have lost whilst I have lived in France due to cobbles and inaccessibility of most places) and finally and probably most importantly learned to walk.  Well Walk is a pretty lose description but at least it is getting up and being able to move around into places that would otherwise be a mystery to me e.g. the loos in most of my friends' houses!!

 

After discharge from hospital I found living in an isolated place with stairs was not much fun so my husband and I moved to France and we have loved our little adventure here.  I have learnt to live with me again.  that is the new me amongst people who didn't know me any other way.  We have lived in a fabulous old farmhouse with loads of space and it has been great.  We bought a small bungalow which we have let mostly to disabled people for the last three years but now we have decided to return to the UK and have sold the big house and moved into the bungalow and are loving it here.  Warm and cosy.   We have bought a house in Lincolnshire and will be moving back there in March.  It needs lots of work to adapt it but it is just another adventure.  So we are going to sell the bungalow too (advertised for sale in Mobilise).  

 

You probably think this is all very boring  but you have to forgive me as this is my first blog.  I used to keep a journal so perhaps this is the way for me to get back into that.

 

Good luck to all you who are living the Wheel life.  

 

Fifi