A Story
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Once, a person was severely injured. So severely, in
fact, that the person suffered motor paralysis and the
loss of many body functions normally taken for
granted. It was soon discovered that complications such
as bladder infections, contractures, pressure sores and
spasticity were to be added to these trials. Furthermore,
the injured person faced a lifetime in a wheelchair,
experienced catastrophic disruption of personality, was
extremely fearful of future relationships with family and
friends, and had no means of support even though the
torrent of hospital and doctor bills failed to reflect this
fact. The institution to whose care this person was
committed, however, provided all possible care and
counsel and then, through a carefully conceived blend
of incentive and disincentive, returned a changed person
to a new world. The new world, viewed from a new
wheelchair, was bewildering.

One dilemma was obvious: to cope or not to cope.
To cope meant to work and play and live and love as if
nothing had happened. But something *had* happened.
Not to cope meant to refuse responsibility for personal
health and welfare, to allow physical and psychological
complications to bankrupt rehabilitation. Suicide was
even considered, and nobody knew for sure if that was
coping or not coping.

All the options seemed lousy.

We are the spinal cord injured. There are hundreds
of thousands of us in America, and about ten thousand
more every year. Although 82% of us are male, we
come from all races, places, ages, occupations,
educations and income brackets. We’re all badly hurt,
and many of us don’t know what to do about living this
way. It’s a very good thing, therefore, that the world is
full of people with injuries like ours who have coped,
who are glad they are coping, and who give to the
human race in full measure for what they take. This
book is not only about these people; it is largely by
them. This is their book, and it’s for you.

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