Does rehab feel hopeless when you start?
TL;DR: Often, yes, and the feeling lies. I rolled into the Shepherd Center at six in the evening, stared at the sunset, and thought I’d be in a wheelchair forever. I was fifteen and completely sure of it.I was also completely wrong, and the next morning the work...
Should you let people see what you carry?
TL;DR: Yes, when you choose the moment. At the ATI Super Conference in 2018, Richard Menneg who hired me to speak asked me to carry my heavy backpack on stage. I thought it was just my bag. He was showing a whole room what I’d hauled around for years, long...
How do you learn to run again after a stroke?
TL;DR: You start on a treadmill with a harness holding most of your weight, and a therapist who decides today is the day. I had a stroke at fifteen and forgot how to run. When I was strong enough my physical therapist said we’d try anyway. I told her I...
Does a limp always mean what you think it means?
TL;DR: Not even close. I once watched a police officer drag his foot across a sidewalk and felt an instant kinship, so I stopped him to say his limp gave me courage. He turned to me with the kindest eyes and explained he’d just stepped in dog poop and was trying...
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