From the Perspective of the Mind…
Thirteen years ago, on February 28, 2010, at 11:42pm, I was randomly gunned down and left paralyzed from the stomach down. I was convinced that I was disabled based on the societal norms of what a person with a spinal cord injury should be. Prior to my injury, I was independent in every aspect. Once injured, I immediately became frustrated with the entire healthcare system. I noticed the level of my physical treatment was based on my financial stability, or lack thereof, and a disregard for my mental and emotional health. The disregard became an extreme challenge for me to accept the physical help that I received.
I have always been taught to BE the change that I desire to see, and during the first year of my injury, I became adamant about creating change not just for myself, but for others. Individuals injured like me have to think differently to be different. I embraced all the stares, finger-pointing, and misjudgment because of my chair and decided to embark upon an academic career that would be the journey to my greatest success…living passionately in and on purpose! To prove to myself and others that I was not “handicapped” in the way I originally thought spinal cord injured people should be, I homed in on the things I loved most in order to reidentify and redefine myself as a paraplegic. I returned to school to obtain my GED after only 13 required hours of study. I completed a bachelor's degree in English and a master’s degree in English and Creative Writing with a Screenwriting Concentration within the first six years of my injury.
Even with 2 college degrees under my wheelchair, I needed and wanted more! I took the time to apply all the knowledge and skills learned during my academic journey, life experiences, and passions and wrote my first novel, Meet Love Through My Eyes: A Novel Inspired by True Events. It took two months to complete the first draft and a little over a year to self-publish it. Once published, I wanted more! By this time, I had been living independently and on my own for the past six years. I took my writing journey to release a lot of experiences, whether mine or someone else’s.
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If I am not learning, I feel I am not growing. Where there is no growth, how can one live? Reflecting on how writing helped my mental health in coping, I was inspired to continue my education and in psychology. I got a second master’s degree in clinical psychology with a clinical counseling focus over four years including an internship and practicum, and with a 4.0 GPA. (This is me patting myself on the back right now.) I learned the importance of how my thoughts affect my feelings and behaviors. Anything that I thought I could do before my injury, I was hindered by what others would think or believe about me. Anything I think I can do post injury, I do it with confidence and conviction. With such application, I am always successful. In my mind, there is nothing that I cannot do. Although I cannot do all the things that I once did prior to my injury, does not mean that I cannot do them at all. It’s a matter of me finding ways to do it safely and that works for me.
As a mental health professional, I say all of what has been said to convey a simple message: If you change your mind, everything else will follow suit…mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. I’ll close by sharing I have always desired to relocate to Spain to obtain my PhD in clinical and health psychology. I officially relocate to Spain September 2023…yes, in two months. I believe I can, so I will.
Blogger Bio: DeAnna Alexander is a paraplegic living with a T7-T8 spinal cord injury. She is a mental health professional and board member of United Spinal Association Atlanta Chapter and is passionate about advocating for herself and others. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, writing, and spending time with her family.