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Reinventing Myself After Disability
I made lemonade after life gave me lemons, but I forgot to add sugar
I certainly didn’t plan on getting sick. Disability was something that happened to other people. I thought I could balance every obstacle life handed me. Guess what? I was a fool to think I was infallible.
Before my health disintegrated, my husband and I had the world by the ass. I was a full charge bookkeeper who enjoyed making beaded jewelry, crocheting, playing golf, and learning to design websites and graphic design. My husband loved playing guitar with his friends at jam sessions, and I was secretly jealous of the relationship he had with his motorcycles. We married after living together for fourteen years.
In the blink of an eye, everything changed. My husband has a severe traumatic brain injury from a motorcycle accident. I was shoved into the world of Caregiving, navigating the VA Healthcare system, and working remote from his hospital rooms for seven months. Our dog went to live with friends until I could bring my husband home. Even our home changed. It was necessary to modify it for wheelchair access.
It’s difficult to be a caregiver for a TBI survivor. I foolishly isolated myself from family and friends. I didn’t want to burden them with my problems and how I was feeling because I felt they would a) get tired of hearing about…
