Comments on: Growing Pains: Chronicles Of A Young Woman Coping With Paralysis http://www.unitedspinal.org/publications/action/2006/01/24/growing-pains-chronicles-of-a-young-woman-coping-with-paralysis/ Mon, 27 Sep 2010 16:22:34 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Action Online » Blog Archive » Growing Pains: Coming Back Home http://www.unitedspinal.org/publications/action/2006/01/24/growing-pains-chronicles-of-a-young-woman-coping-with-paralysis/comment-page-1/#comment-1114 Action Online » Blog Archive » Growing Pains: Coming Back Home Fri, 21 Apr 2006 14:52:04 +0000 http://www.unitedspinal.org/publications/action/?p=350#comment-1114 [...] Just months before I was injured in a car accident (see Growing Pains, “Chronicles of a Young Woman Coping with Paralysis,” in the January Action), I had relocated to Bozeman, Montana, from the East Coast. I was still settling in, so to speak, when I caught a Med-Jet to the trauma center in Chicago in August 1989. Returning home to Bozeman in November was bittersweet. [...] [...] Just months before I was injured in a car accident (see Growing Pains, “Chronicles of a Young Woman Coping with Paralysis,” in the January Action), I had relocated to Bozeman, Montana, from the East Coast. I was still settling in, so to speak, when I caught a Med-Jet to the trauma center in Chicago in August 1989. Returning home to Bozeman in November was bittersweet. [...]

]]> By: Chris http://www.unitedspinal.org/publications/action/2006/01/24/growing-pains-chronicles-of-a-young-woman-coping-with-paralysis/comment-page-1/#comment-514 Chris Thu, 02 Feb 2006 12:45:45 +0000 http://www.unitedspinal.org/publications/action/?p=350#comment-514 Well said, Ziggi! Well said, Ziggi!

]]> By: Ziggi http://www.unitedspinal.org/publications/action/2006/01/24/growing-pains-chronicles-of-a-young-woman-coping-with-paralysis/comment-page-1/#comment-512 Ziggi Thu, 02 Feb 2006 05:09:11 +0000 http://www.unitedspinal.org/publications/action/?p=350#comment-512 Hi Marie, I'm just itching to get in on this one. It would seem logical to assume that there are proportionately as many inflated egos riding in wheelchairs as there are pounding shoe leather. They seem to come in all sizes regardless of how their owners move about. Over the years I have been acquainted with a large number of public or self proclaimed “para celebrities”, "wheeled wonders", "rolling royalty", or whichever tag you may prefer. My experiences with these individuals has been as follows: They are amongst the first to step up and deal with the issues at hand. Most give freely of their time and knowledge as peers to the newbies and wannabes, imparting skills and knowledge that your therapist cannot begin to teach you. They elevate the standard and set the mark in public view. They have helped to put a new and much more positive public face on disability. Whether the “para celebrities” be wheelchair athletes, disabilities advocates, or any of the Annie Averages who are just trying to deal with the daily grind, they have all by their efforts made a positive contribution. When any person with a disability wins the public misperceptions lose. We all set our own personal standards. The prize when we think we have met or exceeded those standards is a couple of self induced cranks on the ego inflater. Your so called “para celebrities” have met their own standards and those of the public. Therefore, they get a couple of extra inflation boosters on the house. In most cases it's well deserved. As for Beth and her story- Do I consider Beth a para-celebrity? No, not really. Just one more person who had the desire to set their personal standards higher than the seat of their wheelchair. So if Beth hits the mark in public then misperceptions regarding disabilities takes a hit. That's the point you may be missing in all of this. This isn't really about ego prowess or self aggrandizement. It's about an interesting story with a very poignant message. The message being- Disability is not the great deterent that many think it is or that some let it become. Everyone, with or without a disability has potential and inherent worth. You set how high you want to fly and you go for it. That works for me, and it seems like it's working out for Beth. Hand me the crank, this one is on me Beth. Hi Marie,
I’m just itching to get in on this one. It would seem logical to assume that there are proportionately as many inflated egos riding in wheelchairs as there are pounding shoe leather. They seem to come in all sizes regardless of how their owners move about. Over the years I have been acquainted with a large number of public or self proclaimed “para celebrities”, “wheeled wonders”, “rolling royalty”, or whichever tag you may prefer. My experiences with these individuals has been as follows:

They are amongst the first to step up and deal with the issues at hand. Most give freely of their time and knowledge as peers to the newbies and wannabes, imparting skills and knowledge that your therapist cannot begin to teach you. They elevate the standard and set the mark in public view. They have helped to put a new and much more positive public face on disability.

Whether the “para celebrities” be wheelchair athletes, disabilities advocates, or any of the Annie Averages who are just trying to deal with the daily grind, they have all by their efforts made a positive contribution. When any person with a disability wins the public misperceptions lose. We all set our own personal standards. The prize when we think we have met or exceeded those standards is a couple of self induced cranks on the ego inflater. Your so called “para celebrities” have met their own standards and those of the public. Therefore, they get a couple of extra inflation boosters on the house. In most cases it’s well deserved.

As for Beth and her story- Do I consider Beth a para-celebrity? No, not really. Just one more person who had the desire to set their personal standards higher than the seat of their wheelchair. So if Beth hits the mark in public then misperceptions regarding disabilities takes a hit. That’s the point you may be missing in all of this. This isn’t really about ego prowess or self aggrandizement. It’s about an interesting story with a very poignant message. The message being- Disability is not the great deterent that many think it is or that some let it become. Everyone, with or without a disability has potential and inherent worth. You set how high you want to fly and you go for it. That works for me, and it seems like it’s working out for Beth.

Hand me the crank, this one is on me Beth.

]]> By: Chris http://www.unitedspinal.org/publications/action/2006/01/24/growing-pains-chronicles-of-a-young-woman-coping-with-paralysis/comment-page-1/#comment-493 Chris Mon, 30 Jan 2006 17:15:45 +0000 http://www.unitedspinal.org/publications/action/?p=350#comment-493 Marie, I don't read Beth's story as a self-glorification, or I wouldn't have asked her to write it. In fact, it's her whole life story that interested me. She is not "just" an athlete. She's a single mom of two children (who became a mother after her injury), a career woman, a divorcee, and an athlete. In short, she is an ordinary person. Not a hero--and certainly not an ego freak. I hope you'll give her story a chance, and maybe you'll be interested in telling your own story. Chris Marie,

I don’t read Beth’s story as a self-glorification, or I wouldn’t have asked her to write it. In fact, it’s her whole life story that interested me. She is not “just” an athlete. She’s a single mom of two children (who became a mother after her injury), a career woman, a divorcee, and an athlete. In short, she is an ordinary person. Not a hero–and certainly not an ego freak.

I hope you’ll give her story a chance, and maybe you’ll be interested in telling your own story.

Chris

]]> By: marie http://www.unitedspinal.org/publications/action/2006/01/24/growing-pains-chronicles-of-a-young-woman-coping-with-paralysis/comment-page-1/#comment-470 marie Mon, 30 Jan 2006 15:41:00 +0000 http://www.unitedspinal.org/publications/action/?p=350#comment-470 it is fair to say tht the vast majority of people go through struggles in life. I cannot understand why the struggles of "disabled athletes" are somehow more valid and thus, more publishable than just a regular person with a non-glamerous life. There is an awful lot of disabled people who are tired of the "para celebrities" tales of their heroism. These people think they have some sort of franchise on virtue and insight. In reality, they are just ego freaks that happen to be in chairs. it is fair to say tht the vast majority of people go through struggles in life. I cannot understand why the struggles of “disabled athletes” are somehow more valid and thus, more publishable than just a regular person with a non-glamerous life. There is an awful lot of disabled people who are tired of the “para celebrities” tales of their heroism. These people think they have some sort of franchise on virtue and insight. In reality, they are just ego freaks that happen to be in chairs.

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