Month: June 2023

This is Boo

5 pounds, going blind,but beautiful enough to steal my husband

She’s a tortoise shell cat who weighs in at all of 5 pounds and who can’t lift that up from the floor to the bathroom sink…?

Me,130 pounds, poor eyesight and Kermit the frog’s arms

Perhaps I should start at the beginning of our time together. From day one, Boo has made it known that she ONLY drinks water from the bathroom tap. This really only became an issue when she recently started going blind. The hubby noticed it first, and then I saw her walking into the wall occasionally. Most recently, she waits to be airlifted onto the counter ,which hubby does with a smile.

A day before yesterday, I was wheeling to the bathroom, and there’s Boo I thought, she’s only 5 pounds, it’ll be easy. Then, I bent down and lifted her about three quarters of the way to the counter, when I felt the muscles pop off from 4 lumbar vertebrae, I was barely able to set Boo back on the floor and I’ve been bound to my lift chair ever since.

I’ve never put my back out like this before, and I’m trying very hard to allow as much healing time as possible, but can I just say that if you’re a wheelchair user DO NOT risk the injury. In my case, it’s a right side injury, as opposed to my already paralyzed left side. I can’t transfer to my wheelchair due to the pain ,which means that I must have help with getting to the toilet, where to my and hubby’s horror I couldn’t wipe the rear.

Even some of the able bodied, might have pulled something. But please never forget that you are not able-bodied, and any injury will take you away from the progress you are making. And time away will set you back farther from your ultimate goal. So if you take anything away from this post, it should be even when something seems like it should be easy, if you’ve not done it recently, DON’T ASSUME IT’S EASY, ASSUME IT’S NOT, AND ASK FOR HELP. Unless you want to end up like this for days.

Taken well before the injured back.

Paralyzed or not, I have the best movie recommendation.

Back in 1991/92, I met a man who had been paralyzed. He was a screenwriter, and he’d had a fall while rock climbing and suffered permanent paralysis. His name was Neal Jimenez, and he had just completed his own biographical film about his injury and recovery process .when I say completed, not only did he write his story, but he directed it too. It remains his only directorial title, and it’s still the most moving story I’ve ever seen .

This is what Neal Jimenez looked like when we met.
Best movie about recovery

Starring Eric Stoltz and Helen Hunt, The Waterdance is a brilliant piece of work/life that I can’t recommend highly enough. And you can watch it for free on Vimeo,just search for the Waterdance.

Rounding out the cast are Wesley Snipes, William Forsythe, and Elizabeth Pena, who all do an awesome job with the subject matter as well as their own fully formed characters .

I wholeheartedly believe that this film should be seen by EVERYONE on the planet, even if paralysis hasn’t touched your life, because it’s so important to understand the effort that goes into recovery, not to mention the mindset that’s required. I guarantee you’ll come away with so much respect for wheelchair users.

I’ve received positive comments regarding my seemingly endless positive attitude, and I have to tell you that this film is a big part of the reason why I knew I could get through my own paralysis. The brief time that I was able to spend as his friend was invaluable to me

Unfortunately, Neal passed away at the age of 63 of heart failure. But his life touched many. Please allow yourself to be one of the many, you won’t regret it.

So download the Vimeo app and search for The Waterdance and enjoy career making performances and the best inspirational autobiographical film that I’ve ever seen for free!