261: Patrick broke his neck

I’ve never had an injury that was serious enough to be what I would think of as “life changing” but some people have. It’s a pretty deep idea to think about.

I came across this post online recently. Here’s what this woman wrote:

I experienced a life changing injury 6 months ago, which has left me very physically disabled and in excruciating pain 24/7. I am waiting for scans in the next month, after being refused medical care in the country where I was injured, but it is likely there is very little to be done to fix this. I am also trying physical therapy to get better, but so far with no results and just increased pain. The situation is making me severely depressed, and I really need to find some acceptance for what happened, and my life moving forward. I am in therapy already for some other stuff, but not able to come to acceptance for this injury yet.

I'm stuck feeling despair and anger, and like I'm only a burden for the people around me, including my partner. I can't work, nor participate in fun activities that requires anything other than sitting, and even that I cannot do for long. I can't go for walks, sex is painful, almost all my hobbies are no longer possible. I barely sleep because of the pain, so I'm always sleep deprived as well. I have to be medicated for pain through the day and night to even be able to talk or move. If I try to skip a day, I cannot function.

I really would like to feel that life is worth living even with chronic severe pain and physical disabilities I never imagined having to deal with. I spend so much energy and tears on feeling upset about the situation, and it's interfering with me at least feeling as okay as I possibly can. I need to find radical acceptance, but I feel so heart broken when I try. I don't know what to do.

I can just hear the despair in her words. She wrote that in an online forum 5 years ago, so I would love to know how she’s doing today. But I don’t.

My guest today is Patrick, and he knows what it’s like to have an accident that results in a life-changing injury. He was young and athletic, and he loved to go surfing and run ultramarathons. But then one day he broke his neck, and he had no idea what the rest of his life was going to look like.

If you’d like to contact Patrick -

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bodiezepha415/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/patrick.yalon

Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here:

https://WhatWasThatLike.com/261

Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai.

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