Stanford Strong

Mamma Bear moment.  It’s sad that you feel like you must protect your child from words from important people who could have the ability to drastically make life exponentially harder for my son who tragically was injured in a car accident 3 years ago and was paralyzed from the neck down.  Life isn’t easy for him or us that take care of his every need.  In the heels of a terrible plane crash, to tell the world it was due to a program through the FAA that helps include people with physical disabilities was highly misleading to a population that won’t know or investigate the truth of the program or the cause of the accident.  Words are powerful and some’s carry more weight than others.  Implying that hiring people with a physical disability will compromises safety will increase the harmful stigma of a population that is already vulnerable and has the highest unemployment rates in America. Ever since Julian was hurt, we have tried to convince...

 July 31, 2024 Hard to believe it's been 25 years since Chris and I got married.  We were such babies back then and had no idea the ride we would embark on since that day.  I feel like we've lived more life in 25 years than some do in a lifetime.  We have moved 7 times, 4 different states, and 2 different countries.  Each time a new adventure that we looked forward to the new experiences and people we would meet.  We both put ourselves back to school to get our master's degrees while navigating life with work and children.  We had 3 beautiful children that I've been proud to watch grow.  Being a mom is one of my most favorite things and could not be happier with the family we have created together.  We've also experienced such profound loss and grief mixed in through the years, especially the last 5.  Some days I wonder how we are still standing, but we continue to push through and make it through another day always hoping that things wi...

  A surprising sadness that has come with the fall out of spinal cord injury and its effect on our lives is how those closest to me have responded.     I’ve always tried to be a nurturer and someone that people can come to for support.     When I need it most, it seems no one is there but 1 consistent person.     I’ve even told at least 5 people that I have been struggling significantly and feel like those words just get left hanging in the air without actions that I would have provided my closest or even a stranger when presented with the same wording something more than “I’m sorry”.      It makes me question relationships and people in my life.     I don’t need a pat on the back, but simply time from others occasionally.     I feel so alone to deal with this life and at times it is so overwhelming I question if it is worth it.     I used to feel like this feeling was selfish and an easy way out.   ...

 June, 14, 2024 I've become quite the cyinic post accident.  It's hard not to when life dealt the hand that it has dealt.  I see sadness at every corner or my day.  Support groups are full of the struggles of daily life of patients and families affected by spinal cord injury.  We are at the beginning of a very long unending journey that is full of complications and pain (physically and emotionally), just like a ticking time bomb until something happens.  Who knew this would be the hand we have been dealt.  Chris and I got married, spent time making ourselves better people.  We both are smart and educated and then dreamed of our family.  Doing everything right in life leaves no guarantees for a happy ending.  My life is one that no one other than those enduring this could understand.    Again, leave it to Gray's anatomy to help with life.  When the topic of profound sadness and tragedy was discussed, it talked about how unf...