I made the conscious decision not to document myself right after my accident, because I felt like this was a part of my life I would never want to look back on and recall. I regret this decision because it would have been documentation of just how far I have come. So, I only have a few pictures. I found these two, which was my first excursion out of the hospital (acute in-patient rehab), just for lunch. It is funny how looking back, it is still very fresh how this was a really big fuckin’ deal. It took a lot of OT and PT to prepare myself to even handle leaving the confines of a hospital, and all the worries about having and handling a bowel/bladder accident. But the challenge was also largely emotional and mental, where I had to face my deep worries of anticipated self-consciousness and being in a public place where people could see me in this state. I am thankful to have my dear friend, Jen Sager, be there with me, and my mother.

You can see that I got friends to sign my turtle-suit. Eating with the full cervical neck brace was not easy either. I remember being so happy when that thing came off. It was like, wow, I have a neck!

I wore baggy sweatpants exclusively for many months because, with my paralyzed leg, I could not dress myself with any pants that were in the slightest bit form-fitting. Putting on my first pair of jeans quite a few months afterwards felt like such a triumph.

Smiling in this photo, but crying inside.

Looking noticeably more pissed off with my Mum. She drove me bonkers (and still does) but I still love her.