Challenging Yourself
Becoming paralyzed transformed my life. From day one, I had no handbook to follow, and I learned everything as I went along. Every day brought a new challenge. Usually, I love challenges. I have always felt driven to inspire others and make the most out of every moment. But the experience of paralysis brought an all-encompassing challenge level.
Following my accident, I spent almost a month in rehab, digesting what happened. I gave myself one day to cry and mourn my past 33 years as a walker. Waking up after the surgery and finding out that I was paralyzed from the waist down was devastating. I felt afraid that my husband would leave me. When I told him that, he placed his hand on my heart and said, “This is why I’m with you. We’ll get through this.” I started to perk up and look forward to physical and occupational therapy, and I devoured the guidance that I got. Towards the end of rehab, I feared that I wouldn’t survive outside the comfort and structure that rehab provided. But I couldn’t dwell on my losses. I needed to push forward and embrace this new adventure.
I faced difficulties upon returning home, and I couldn’t imagine going through this journey without the constant support of my husband. He committed himself to taking care of me and helping me with daily tasks, even with his own health issues. One day, I said to him, “Can you please leave my clothes for me, and I will try and dress myself?” I woke up that morning knowing that I wanted more of my independence back. It felt good to successfully accomplish this task. From there, I kept trying more tasks independently. I realized that being paralyzed doesn’t mean that I can’t feel empowered.
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I learned how to get myself out of bed, and I felt determined to transfer myself back into bed. The hardest task was transferring onto my commode and needing my husband to assist me afterwards. I decided to tackle this routine next because I knew that it would bring me an even greater sense of autonomy in my daily life. My husband and I practiced these transfers together, and I eventually mastered them. One night, I surprised him by cleaning up after myself, getting into bed, and doing my nighttime routine independently.
Every day, I challenged myself and knocked obstacles off the seemingly endless list. I started getting myself onto the shower bench and in and out of the shower, with only occasional assistance. I surprised my husband again by getting out of the shower, transferring into bed, dressing myself, and transferring into my regular wheelchair. He came to check on me in the shower, only to find me grinning and sneaking up on him. I asked him why he didn’t encourage me to take these initiatives earlier. He told me that he wanted to give me time to figure it out on my own. My husband gave me the push and strength that I needed to believe in my capabilities. We laugh now, remembering how he jokingly said, “When are you planning on leaving me?” as I accomplished greater independence.
The day before the one-year anniversary of my accident, I endeavored to use the Hoyer lift to get on our four-wheeler. As I successfully rode the four-wheeler by myself, I felt liberated. I knew that I needed to ride up and down the ridge in our backyard again.
Instead of saying, “I’m damaged and broken, I started to say “I’m healing. I’m rediscovering myself.” I learned that you can always find the motivation to keep pushing forward, even after hitting rock bottom. My paralysis journey was not the life that I envisioned for me and my husband. But with him by my side, I’m determined that there won’t be any limits on our journey ahead.
Katie Curry was an electrician by trade. Since becoming paralyzed from the waist down after an accident in 2021, she has worked on repairing and restoring antique lamps and making her own creations. In her free time, Katie loves being in nature, fishing, painting, taking photos, working out, riding her four-wheeler, and playing with her three German shorthaired pointers.