A friend and former mobility student who read this manuscript before going to print said that he was disappointed that this book didn't contain the little "pearls of wisdom" that helped to inspire him during his initial rehabilitation. I told him that I would add a little section with the hope that it might be helpful, and so here it is. There are many things that I could tell you about getting on with life after your injury. However, when I hear most other people talking about how they did this and

how they did that, and how they are walking now because they were so determined or because they had enough faith, it makes me want to vomit. Let me say right up front that there are some things you can change, and some things you can't change. After I broke my neck, I decided that I would either walk or die trying. After working out around the clock for days and weeks, I can assure you that you won't die from trying too hard. You will simply become too exhausted to move, and if you

keep it up long enough, you will become a mental case after weeks of not sleeping. I tried the miracle thing also, and while I still believe in God, the miracle cure was not in the cards for me. So what can I tell you after twenty five years of working with people with SCI? Well, here are some general observations that might be helpful.

Each one of us comes to the wheelchair game with a different set of cards, and I can't sit here at my computer and tell you how to play your hand. Wheelchair mobility is just a small part of rehabilitation. Getting your head screwed back on straight after your injury is really where it is at, and this is not simply a matter of "doing this or that". People often ask me, "How long did it take for you to get over it?" I wish I could give you a number, but SCI is not really something you get over. It is more like something you get along with. There is no right way to get over it. Each one of us will have to work out his or her "own way".

Some of you will need to forgive the people that injured you, so that you won't be so full of hatred that you can't heal. Some of you will need to forgive yourselves, which I can assure you is not an easy thing to do. Most of us will need to sweep up the broken pieces of yesterday's dreams and

try to salvage what we can. This type of clean-up requires considerable time. Time for the smoke to clear, time to see what is salvageable, time to evaluate the new cards you have been dealt and time to decide how or if you want to play them. That's right, suicide is an option, although a final one. When I talk with others about suicide, there are two things I usually end up saying. One is that if you just got hurt, you don't really know the score yet. You have plenty of time to die. Why not wait a few years and see what you can make out of it? You have nothing to lose, so you can play hard. And maybe you can do something good for someone else. The second thing I end up saying is in the form of a question. "If you had a hundred million dollars and lost twenty million, would you throw the other eighty million away?" You may have suffered a great loss, but it doesn't have to be the end of the world. If you decide not to fold, the next question will be "How should I play my hand?" The answer is, of course different for each of us. For me, I used to turn my anger into working out. Sort of a self punishment thing with a side benefit of getting stronger.

One of the biggest problems to overcome is getting out of bed each day. Most of us really need a reason to get out of bed and get all the Activities of Daily Living (ADL) out of the way. My simple advice is to create a reason. Keep your mind full. Take up hobbies, do sports, work, explore nature studies, (write a book!) - anything to get you out of bed. One of the best things is volunteering. This not only helps to get you out of bed, but it increases your own sense of self worth. Let's face it, we all need to feel needed.

I could go on and on, but you get the picture. Sure you're going to have some bad days. Everybody does, but there are still lots of good things to do in life. Still places to go and people to meet. So keep your mind full, and your bowels empty, and you'll be okay.