‘’I woke up and I couldn't feel my legs.’’ This is what I said on May 6, 2016. You see, on this day I had a massive stroke that paralyzed me from the chest down, it was a very rare spinal stroke. In less than five minutes, I lost the ability to walk, control my trunk muscles, use the bathroom, stand, and regulate my temperature. It also took one was 33 years old. I was devastated.
My mental health was horrible. I already had struggled with depression and anxiety for most of my life. This life adjustment was a new demon that I could not control. I wanted to know why, and how this could happen. It triggered my depression, and I was looking for the road to peace and solitude.
This story is all too common for people with paralysis. The mental health journey is one that is a struggle. It is a struggle, because you have the same life, house, and sometimes career, (if your career can adapt to your injury) but you have a whole NEW life. How do you compartmentalize your new emotions with your old life?
YOU DON’T!
When I came home, I did not have a mental health plan. I was not thinking about a plan. I just wanted to get through the night.
There was so much anguish and heartbreak, and I didn’t know what to do. I did not know I needed a mental health plan. I cried for over 30 days, and then I decided to seek help. I saw a therapist. I laid out all my feelings on the line. I was prescribed anti-depressants, and more appointments for me to come in and see the therapist again.
I WAS RELIEVED!