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| A 360 Degree Turn-around |
By:
Kanayo Okwuraiwe |
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It was a bright sunny Tuesday afternoon and Michael was looking forward to a most fulfilling day. He looked forward to achieving what he set out to achieve for the day, namely to get some materials with which to finish his final year project write-up for his college degree. He also had recently brokered a deal between two people for which he was to get a sum of $200 for his role, and he was to be paid on that same day too. There was also his girlfriend whom he loved all so dearly and vice versa, with whom he had plans to spend the evening with when his day was over. Therefore, he had many reasons to be happy that day. However what started out as a good day turned out to be probably the worst day of his life, and possibly 2 lifetimes, if the theory of rebirth is to be believed.
At about 2:45 pm, after having had some degree of success with regards his mission in town, and while on one last trip that would have signaled the end of his 'hunt,' he got on a bus that was to take him to his destination. But after about 2 minutes of the bus being in motion, one of the tires blew out. While the other passengers were screaming, praying, holding their breaths and all what not, Michael, as was his usual self in times of danger, tried to keep his cool and evaluate his situation and find a possible solution, but the time was too short to do all that and after the bus had swerved in all directions, it tumbled and turned on it's sides, skidding on the gravel road and dragging all its occupants with it till it came to a stop, right in the middle of the free way.
When the bus finally came to a halt, Michael, with all the other passengers began to disembark from the upturned bus, and he, being the last to get on the bus was also the first to get out of it and into another vehicle that which been commandeered to take any possible injured to the nearest hospital. He got up and out of the bus and after seeing that he had sustained several injuries, got into the awaiting vehicle to be driven to the hospital, but it was to be discovered that that singular act of getting up from the bus and taking those few steps was his undoing and would cost him dearly.
While in the hospital, it was discovered that Michael sustained a spinal cord injury and also had internal bleeding in his chest, which was turbulent and would have cost him his life had it not been managed properly, not to mention several bruises and wounds in just about every part of his body except his face. He was managed as best as the doctors knew how, and after spending six long and depressing months in the hospital, he was sent home to begin a new life, a life on a wheelchair. He was never to be the same person after that incident, even to this day. Luckily, he had a caring and wonderful family who stood by him all through, but the thing about his family was that they only took care of his physical needs, and either by omission or commission, but more likely the former, they neglected the psychological (and possibly spiritual) trauma he was going through and chances are that that aspect is what is most likely to hinder him if and when the time comes to move on with his life.
Try as hard as he could he just could not bring himself to accept what had befallen him. He knew there was nothing medical science could do for him, as for the many others before him who had been in similar situations. He therefore tried to go spiritual and look for a miracle but didn't have any success there either. So also with other African traditional methods, who ended up doing noting but give him false hopes while milking him and his family dry of all their money. And so he spent many long and depressing months either lying on his bed in his room, or just staying indoors as his society wasn't wheelchair friendly, thus making going out very unpleasant. And as was to be expected, his friends had all gone their ways and very few if any at all ever visited, save for his girlfriend, even though their were having their problems, and chances that their relationship would last much longer was very slim.
The weeks turned into months, and months into years, and when the years hit three, while of course not forgetting the many bouts of depression and all other emotions he went through in the intervening period, he began to make progress when he finally met a fellow wheelchair user in person named Mavis. Yes, he had met others before her, but they were all people he met on the internet and they lacked that personal touch which can be so important in human relationships. He finally began to do things he never knew he could do inspite of his physical limitations, things which he wasn’t taught to do before he left the hospital. It was this same friend who encouraged him to forgive his girlfriend, who was now his ex, for the wrong or perceived wrong she did him. And he was also making progress on all other fronts too. There was also the talk of him going back to finish his university degree, and possibly taking up an extra course, and the thing is, Michael actually was tired of the boredom and the life he lived, and he was willing to do whatever it took to have some change. So it would seem he was beginning to live again and move on with his life, as someone had once told him he someday would, no matter how long it took.
This is the story of the life of a young man, whose life was turned around 360 degrees following a car accident. Who went from being a lively active person to being rather docile and immobile, from being the 'work horse' of the house to being so dependent on everyone for the littlest of things; who went from having dreams and ambitions to not having the faintest of faith in his abilities and wishing he would die in his sleep. This is also the story of a young man who went from loving a girl, for the first time ever in his life to hating that same person, also the very first person he ever hated, and hopefully the last. This is the story of a young man struggling to get his life back, or at least have a life again as in his own words he would never have his life back, as long as he was in a wheelchair. |
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