Odd Quad

Images of me pulling myself up to a standing position and then having someone move my chair out of the way to give the illusion that I'm standing… What a joke.

I broke my neck in 1966, y'all know that I've talked about it or written about it for decades now you all know how I got this, the old guy in a wheelchair living on his own in senior housing. I broke my neck and that makes me a quadriplegic or used to now I don't know what to refer to myself as since the last time I called myself a quad (which is often the common terminology short-term for quadriplegic which only makes sense) physical therapist typesas such got all bent out of shape indicating that “quad” is not the proper form of identifying my particular neurological insult. Screw it I don't care I've earned the terminology.. Now that qualifier aside I can finish this blog hopefully.

Early on following my trauma I was shipped over to the Elks rehabilitation center which is basically disability boot camp. It's where a person with a disability learns how to be a “good” cripple. That's right I said that “C” word. Well obviously I flunked out early on shortening the word cripple to “ crip”. The same is true of the word quadriplegic and soon I was referring to myself as quad or a “quad”. I mean it's the same thing I heard the therapists refer me as when explaining me to other professionals. So with that information I was never sure exactly how my quadriplegia came to be. Did I pinch my spinal cord are was there a separate of my spinal cord are was there just a bad bruise of my spinal cord I never really did find out but I kind a suspect that I essentially bruised my spinal cord pretty significantly. I don't think there is any severing going on nor do I think there is any pinching going on. Even immediately at the rehab facility I noticed (quite fortunately) that I was able to do things that the other “quads” are not able to do in fact I remember going out of my way to fake out being more disabled that I was just so I would not hurt their feelings. I seem to have been a wrist flexion then my new disabled friends, I didn't have much of a pinch but I still had some functionality on my left hand as far as being able to make a pincher device with my thumb and forefinger. I could control my thumbs enough to loop my thumbs in the belt loops of my pants which greatly assisted me in some of my dressing. Anyway, one of my favorite physical therapists her name is Arley dubbed to be as “odd quad”.

I must confess my whole life I have enjoyed her secretly loved my nickname as the Odd Quad. Not only could I do the things already mentioned that I could actually do things like feed myself, shave my face and even but my clothes. Things that have helped greatly in my ability to be independent. In fact I could even stand independently for short periods of time. This of course is somewhat ironic in that I was not really standing as much as my knees were locked. My left leg took a major hit from the vehicle that hit me on my motorcycle and my ankle has always been sensitive. Had I not had this sensitive ankle probably might have even been able to take a few steps. I can actually take a few steps with the help of parallel bars, crutches but nothing productive but the mere fact that I could do it kind of in my mind put me universes ahead of the other quadriplegics I was in rehabilitation with. For what it's worth I was nothing but an oddity but it's been fun be in the oddity that rhymes with my disability. I've posted a couple images from adolescence showing my ability to stand. I like to do this people just love this is kind of like my parlor trick. Nowadays of course I cannot stand at least I haven't had the chance to test this out recently. Last rehab I was at during the rehabilitation from my last neurosurgery following my stenosis correction when they got me up in the overhead apparatus that allowed me to mimic walking. I don't know if I can stand in parallel bars now unaided like I used to but perhaps it doesn't matter. Everything's okay the kid's okay. I can still flex my leg only some other side and some on my right side not really flexing its more spasticity like an spasm out my legs enough when I have my chair folded back pushoff on the foot plates enough to arch might but enough to get my pants on and that's perhaps all I need that and knowing that I am the Odd Quad…