United Spinal's Action Online Magazine » Growing Pains

Diminished Visitability

Chris — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 19:55:52 +0000

When visiting a friend resembles an episode of Man vs. Wild.

By Beth Livingston

Last summer I made plans to visit my friends Lisa and Mike in Salt Lake City. I was going to be in town on business and delighted in the thought that I would get to see them, too, as a side benefit. We spoke on the phone about dates and directions, and where to stay.

Lisa and Mike work in two different towns, Orem and Salt Lake. To save time and hassle, they bought a modest apartment in “the Avenues” of Salt Lake City where they stay when [...]

GROWING PAINS: “Different” Folks

Chris — Thu, 01 Jun 2006 06:55:09 +0000

By Beth Livingston

“You people are amazing!”

How often do you hear that and wonder whether you belong to some unnamed tribe?

When I returned to Bozeman after rehab, I was officially “different.” I was in a wheelchair. I stood out. I suppose some communities have larger populations of people with disabilities than in Bozeman, Montana, but it sure felt like I was the only cripple for miles around.

Yes, I said “cripple,” and in my geographic locale, that is rancher-speak for “you people” thus, acceptable terminology. When a calf is injured on the back 40, it is not “disabled.” When a [...]

GROWING PAINS: Motherhood

Chris — Mon, 01 May 2006 05:44:01 +0000

By Beth Livingston

Lila and Parker, the author’s children.

Months after the car accident that left me paralyzed, my husband gently revisited the subject of having children. I had always assumed we’d have one-or many. “Things are different now,” he said. “I would understand if you didn’t want to have kids.”

Things were different, I thought. I likened my paralysis to a small child that would never grow up. I would always struggle to dress it, potty train it, and check and care for “owies.” I already felt overwhelmed by the care my paralyzed body required and wondered if I could handle [...]

Growing Pains: Coming Back Home

Chris — Fri, 21 Apr 2006 14:51:27 +0000

By Beth Livingston

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.

My injury occurred as I was still in the process of exploring my new hometown and working on meeting people. Now I felt unsure how I would be received by the friends I had [...]

GROWING PAINS: Valleys and Mountains

Chris — Fri, 24 Feb 2006 21:14:37 +0000

By Beth Livingston

After my car accident, I was stabilized at our local hospital, before making the flight to North West University Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. There I was to undergo spinal reduction surgery, and the thought was that I would do my rehabilitation at the nearby Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. I had family in town, and Chicago was a relatively easy distance for the rest of my immediate family to travel to and from.

The early days of rehab were grueling, humiliating, and depressing as everyone who has gone through it knows all too well. I did not want to learn [...]

Growing Pains: Chronicles Of A Young Woman Coping With Paralysis

Chris — Tue, 24 Jan 2006 19:54:06 +0000

By Beth Livingston

In 1989, I had arrived. I had recently completed my undergraduate studies at Parsons School of Design in New York City and had moved across the country to start a new adventure. My husband George and I were married 3 years earlier. We were committed to living in the Rocky Mountains, and Bozeman, Montana, was our chosen destination.

After settling into town, finding a place to live, and securing employment, life began to settle into normalcy. We made a few new friends, got to know our neighbors, and began making our rented turn-of-the-century farmhouse comfortable.

Things were going my [...]