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Thinking back to my childhood I recall playing the “what do you want to be when you grow up” game with other kids. My answer was always a resounding “mermaid.” The water has always been such a central part of my life having grown up in the Bahamas. When I broke my neck nearly 10 years ago, I couldn’t imagine how life would continue if I was unable to get back to the aquatic lifestyle I had become accustomed to.
When I was in the ICU and inpatient rehab the first few months after my accident, I was also battling a stage III pressure sore on my sacrum. I could not wrap my head around how I would ever get back into the water. I saw many other SCI folks start to dive back into activities in rehab, but I was not as fortunate. I was confined to bed rest all day, except for several hours of rehab, due to the raging pressure sore I had sustained during transport from the Bahamas to Miami after the accident.
While I stayed focused in rehab, worked on my computer, and made the best of my situation, I started to give up hope that I would ever get back into the water again. Once I was released from rehab and sent home, I kept asking my caregivers and my mom every day if my pressure sore was healing, and I kept asking wound nurses how long it would take. I didn’t know if I going to be able to get back in the water, but my family and I kept researching swim instructors anyway. Somehow, I held onto a glimmer of hope despite the mounting medical challenges I was facing.
Read the rest on Push Living Magazine: https://pushliving.com/aquatic-therapy-a-story-of-a-paralyzed-mermaid/
