NSCIA Columnists » Gary Karp
Gettin' Old
Having just reached 50 - 31 plus years after breaking my back at T12 - the question of what's in store for my body is taking on an increasing poignancy.
The Spiritual Road on Wheels
Some people are fond of suggesting that a spinal cord injury is an opportunity for spiritual growth. Ultimately, a gift of sorts. Such sentiments are sometimes offered soon after an injury or onset by well-meaning loved ones or friends.
It Depends
In the initial period after onset of an SCI/D, we are forced into a process of making substantial adjustments. The kind that seem insurmountable. Most of us end up surprising ourselves, and discovering how we left the showroom with some extra features we never had to put to use in quite this way – namely a deep and innate capacity to adapt.
Lost But Little Known
Such is the power of Christopher Reeve’s media reach that his passing has earned front page status across the globe. In its Winter issue, SCILife (the quarterly newspaper of NSCIA) will join the club, taking a look back on Reeve and his impact on the SCI/D communities.
Year One and Counting
On September 21 my wife, Paula and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary. Somehow we got 100 people into the back yard — plus the caterers and the Rabbi. Somehow we all survived the surprise 100 degree day.
The Disappearing Wheelchair
The lights come up slowly, steadily, almost imperceptibly, the music swelling subtly, matching the painfully gradual tempo of the lights, ultimately rising to an uplifting crescendo above a primal thrum of drumbeat and droning electric guitars.
It’s Not Just Child’s Play
I love giving kids wheelchair rides — with the obligatory wheelie pop supplemented by a horse whinny sound effect. It's one of the benefits of paralysis. That and the special parking spots. (Yeah, right. Just try finding an open one these days!)
Should I or Shouldn't I?
I winced sharply from the piercing screams. They came in endless waves. The best of my meditation and breathing skills were useless against the onslaught. The crowd around me shared my growing tension, caught in the limbo of wanting to bring the chaos to an end, but knowing that there was no proper way to shut that two-year-old girl up. Her mother really was doing the best she could.
Just a Beginning
Just out of rehab? These days, spinal cord injury or disease (SCI/D) below the cervical level means you probably spent about a month in rehab after a brief acute hospital stay. People with a higher level of injury typically get a few more weeks of inpatient attention.
Being Helped
In the years just after my SCI, I had an instant, reflexive reaction to offers of help. Without even pausing to think, I would say: “I can do it.”