I've been disabled since birth. I actually consider that better than having this type of injury halfway through my life. I can't imagine being able to do anything I wanted and have that suddenly taken away from me. I'd be devastated.
Before I was born, they discovered that I was going to be a breech birth, which means I was coming out feet-first instead of head first. They scheduled a c-section, but mom went into labor kinda early, so they had to do emergency surgery. When the doctor pulled me out, I was really far into the birth canal. he had to pull up on my shoulders, which created a kind of torque that bruised my spinal cord.
My spinal cord wasn't completely severed, so while I can't use my arms or legs, I do have normal sensation.
Yes and no. My biggest objective is to get people to forget about my wheelchair and focus on me the person. Most of the time, I can do it.
It's pretty cool, once you get the hang of it. I steer the one I have right now with my head, so that took some getting used to. The worst thing is their expense; this one cost over $20,000!
Not any more. When I was younger, I used to wonder why this happened to me. But now, I just accept my life for what it is and try to make the best out of every situation.
Probably getting past the awkward stage with people. When I first meet someone, they usually aren't sure what to say or how to react around me. Once I can get them to treat me like anyone else, then the rest is easy