It’s always hard to imagine what life was like before being affected by paralysis. Videos like this help make it so real. It helps make our past lives just as real as our current ones. I welcome you to watch this video that was produced by Matt/StepNOW, a international grassroots movement dedicated to finding a cure for paralysis.
When I became affected with SCI, I networked to find other people who could relate to what I was going through. Sure there is the lack of mobility, but all of us, that just the tip of the iceberg. Most people with SCI have injured nerves that govern toileting. This prevents most people with SCI from going to the “bathroom” in a traditional way. For most, it’s a private intimate topic to be shared with our nurses, aides, spouses, but never with outsiders. It’s an embarrassing topic that we don’t really talk to others about. I think that awareness is the first step in advocating for a cure.
OMG, that is an amazing video. I’ve been around this thing, in a tangential way for almost 4 years and that brought tears to my eyes. One of those funny things where SCI is never a good thing, but good things can happen as a result of it. Such as being friends with you.
And bravo to you for talking about the issues related to continence (or more specifically, the lack thereof). The more its hidden, the more shameful it feels.
You rock my friend. (( hug ))