STRUGGLING WITH SERENDIPITY
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rehab perspectives

4/28/2016

10 Comments

 
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(This blog tells my family's story. To see more, click "blog" at the top of this webpage.)

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Occupational therapy at the hospital focused on Beth's hands. We learned about the tenodesis reflex which some quadriplegics used to grip items, though it required persistent practice to use it well. I tested the reflex. I set an elbow on a table with my forearm straight up and my hand falling forward. Keeping my fingers loose, I pulled my hand backwards at the wrist. As my hand tilted back, the tenodesis reflex automatically closed the space between my fingers and palm.

Sitting in a wheelchair at a table, my youngest was determined to manipulate objects with her hands. To grip a pen with a fat handle, she held it between her index and middle fingers by tilting her right wrist forward and up, her hand entirely closed. At first, she couldn’t press the pen down enough for the ink to show.

​Beth also observed and listened.


We heard about the 1995 accident that left actor Christopher Reeve immobile and dependent on a breathing tube. His spinal cord injury occurred one inch higher in the neck than Beth’s and required nursing care around the clock. I tried to be grateful for my daughter’s ability to breathe independently and move her arms, but I wanted so much more for her.

We met others with spinal cord injuries at rehab. One had a brain injury in addition to a bruised cord. A middle-aged man with an injury like Beth’s had lived his life in a nursing home. A newly-injured young man with paraplegia (paralysis in two limbs, the legs) refused physical therapy and moved to a nursing home. He had full use of his hands and arms. When another boy was paralyzed during fusion surgery to correct his scoliosis, his mom told me that he would not get out of bed for weeks. Then, he would not go back to school.

“I learned how some people given the same situations react in opposite ways. I have seen how people take so much for granted,” Beth said as a 14 year old. “Some people had a tendency to stop. They wouldn’t try to be independent. That’s always been a goal of mine—to be independent.”

Beth’s outlook stayed hopeful, but in a vague, trusting way. She had no idea where our future adventures would take us.

10 Comments
Debra Gardner link
4/29/2016 12:29:33 pm

An excellent example of the difference that perception and attitude have in determining the outcome of any situation. A choice, yet one in which character makes all the difference. Thanks for another inspiring lesson.

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Cindy Kolbe
4/29/2016 05:24:23 pm

Thanks, Deb, though I feel like I still have more to learn about perspective. Beth was/is the one with the amazing attitude!

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Jill
6/13/2016 09:22:39 am

I love reading these short "stories" about Beth's progress!

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Cindy Kolbe link
6/13/2016 03:55:44 pm

Thanks so much, Jill! There are more on the way... ;-)

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Rusty Taylor link
7/7/2016 05:48:31 pm

I dig your outlook. On April 18 of this year, I celebrated the 30th anniversary of my paralysis. I invite you to read an essay I wrote on this event in my life. Peace Through Music.

https://sstjazzvocalist.wordpress.com/2016/04/18/happy-anniversary-maim/

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Cindy Kolbe
7/7/2016 07:01:05 pm

Thanks for sharing, Rusty!

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Amy Henry link
3/3/2018 06:05:07 pm

Beth is so right. Whatever you aspire to, you're only sure to never get there if you don't try.

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Cindy Kolbe link
3/4/2018 09:19:29 pm

I agree, Amy! Even though it is so much easier to give up in the face of overwhelming obstacles.

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Mostly Always Right link
8/4/2018 06:36:17 pm

Your daughter has an amazing spirit. Thank you for the explanation about how our reflexes work, and how your daughter has been able to use that as a new way to grab things. I never really understood how that worked until now. That is so cool!!

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Cindy Kolbe
8/5/2018 12:18:16 pm

Yes! It surprised me that even though I worked with people with disabilities before Beth’s injury, I had so much to learn after, reflexes included. Spinal cord injuries in the neck are far-reaching and, as you know from reading my blog, there is so much more than not walking. To me, that made Beth’s unfailing optimism all the more remarkable. How does someone minimize severe challenges, and see major limitations as insignificant? It’s a gift. That’s part of the reason I feel compelled to write about our story. Thank you for your support!

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