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Wearing My Tragedy Like a Clunky Watch
If I’m being honest…I’m exhausted. I wouldn’t wish this condition on anyone.Not because I don’t have strength… but because this kind of strength shouldn’t have to exist.The loneliness that comes with it is overwhelming.And the truth? Talking about it makes people uncomfortable. But not talking about it?That’s what almost broke me. I live with…
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I’m tired.
I’m tired. Tired of being underestimated.Tired of being belittled.Tired of being left out of plans like I don’t exist…simply because I’m disabled.I’m tired of being treated like less than. As a quadriplegic with little to no help, I’ve still managed to accomplish so much.And yet… people only see the chair.Or worse…my past. Yes, I…
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Dumb Sh*t People Say!
“You’re so lucky to always have a seat!” The first time I heard this, I was stunned.Like… what level of ignorance does it take to look at a wheelchair and think privilege? I blissfully pretended not to hear him.Didn’t want to ruin my day… or get arrested for running him over with my “always…
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Do SCI Patients Have Pain?
Oh, pain. My long-lost friend. Soulmate.How I wish you’d give me some time to miss you. As a recovering C6 Asia A complete spinal cord injury (SCI) survivor, pain is an all-day, every-day occurrence. Whether it’s: • The burning sensation that feels like frostbite meeting a heater,• The muscle exhaustion from overusing the few…
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When Home Isn’t a Haven
By Krystina | #Wheelstrong It’s funny how many of us stay in relationships out of convenience,fear,history,or straight-up denial. How many of us dread walking through our own front doorbecause it’s not peace waiting on the other side…it’s a damn war zone. So we distract ourselves.Work more.Hit the gym.Scroll endlessly.Drink. Smoke. Anything to avoid going…
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What’s Wrong With Me?
By: Krystina | #WheelStrong What’s wrong with me? Ever since I was little, I’ve always felt like a burden.Unwanted.An inconvenience. They say we carry our ways of thinking into adulthood….and I know that’s true.Especially after becoming disabled. At just 9 years old, I was writing poems soaked in sadness.Lines like: “Letdowns of my unhappy…
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Mother’s Day, No Matter What.
By: Krystina | #WheelStrong Even though my Mother’s Day started with no electricity, a freezing cold shower, and a bed stuck in a permanent “U” shape (the only way I can sleep these days)… I’ve never been more grateful to be alive. This morning, I woke up to my daughter proudly handing me the…
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The Door Was Big Enough… But I Never Asked to Be Saved
When inspiration hits,shut up and listen. Because sometimes…it doesn’t come soft.It comes like a wave…one you’ve been trying to outrun your whole life. Sometimes I feel like I’m drowning.Not in water…but in a deep, dark ocean of my own emotions.My own trauma.It wraps around me like seaweed,pulling me down,freezing my heart…or what’s left of…
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This Wasn’t the Plan
This Wasn’t the Plan This is not how I pictured I’d be living my life at 34.But here I am.Every glorious inch of me wretched in pain…nerve pain, muscle pain, musculoskeletal pain…pain pain, if there is such a thing. Sitting on my shower chair,too tired to cry, too numb to scream.Smoking a blunt, balanced…