A Cygnet looking to be a Swan...hoping everyone on Reedsy can help me grow into a good writer by leaving a message about every story you read of mine...Thanks!
I’m Kimberly, 56, a mom of three grown men, grandma to the best football and basketball playing, straight “A” puller of my heart’s strings, and a granddaughter I don’t get to see hardly enough.
At age thirty-one, a car accident paralyzed me from my neck down. The hospital and rehab can spoil and lull you into a false sense of security. After coming home to a new apartment and the new problems of daily living, I would ask the Lord first thing in the morning to make me normal or dead upon opening my eyes.
After I realized the incredible blessing I had been granted, I changed that prayer into a thankful one. I then decided to live for my children. Despite my limitations, I knew I had to be the best mother. I still maintain a house, provide for the family, give loving guidance to the guys, and supervise my care. Being home just took on a new meaning.
As time passed, I realized things were slowly becoming our new normal, easier to navigate and more comfortable. One day I looked up, and ten years had flown by. Each child has graduated high school. I appreciate life more because I’m not afraid to face the next challenge. I even rose to meet one; my counselor wanted me to participate in the Miss Wheelchair pageant in 2009.
Immediately after that weekend, my health started the “four-decade decline.” my symptoms were not presenting as it does in most people. Doctors struggled to diagnose my symptoms correctly. The doctors believed I had cancer until a bone marrow extraction ruled it out. Finally, in late 2009, we had a name for my weird body attacks: Sarcoidosis.
Still, I continued to coast and say, “Yeah, I should write my story down.” Not sure how to get started; I still procrastinated for far too long. My wake-up call happened in 2016. After a month-long coma and a terrifying recap of my family’s ordeal, I knew I needed to step out on that faith I claimed to have. After realizing the wonderful blessing, I had been granted again; I decided not to squander it further.
Fast forwarding to today, I have learned to take things in stride. I now know I enjoy writing short stories and poetry as much as I did as a child. I had to stop living vicariously through my children and live for myself. I’m learning to speak with the new voice I’ve been given through writing after my health scare in 2016. From that moment on, I vowed not to waste another minute; it was time to prove that I wasn’t just an old fool in a wheelchair.
My books are on Amazon:
Blessed Beyond Belief: Biography
Loose Purls: Poetry
Mind Dump: Poetry
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