“I remember feeling the life come out of my body the moment I hit the bottom of the pool. I floated
“I remember feeling the life come out of my body the moment I hit the bottom of the pool. I floated there, unable to move. We’d been drinking all night. So at first my friends thought I was joking. But finally they pulled me out and laid me on the ground. One of them grabbed my hand. And I couldn’t feel it. Not long afterwards I lost consciousness. When I woke at the hospital, the first person I saw was my sister Aleya. She’s four years younger than me, and I can still remember the day she was born. One of my first memories is holding her in my arms, feeling so proud, knowing that she’d always be my little sister. Growing up we never had much. So I guess we found comfort in spending time with each other. Her favorite thing to do was sleep on the couch in my room. She was always a bit more shy, so I tried to push her along. After our parents split we had to fend for ourselves a lot. And even as a young boy, I knew that a five-year-old girl needs a lot of affection. So I did my best. I pretended that Hannah Montana was cool, because I knew that everything I said was true to her. Both of us were robbed of normal childhoods. I know that she struggled in her early teens. One night she looked at me, and asked: ‘How come you’re not fucked up like me?’ And it really broke my heart. That wasn’t long before my injury. And after I got hurt, it’s like we switched places. Suddenly I was the one who felt ready to give up, but she wouldn’t let that happen. I think my paralysis made her realize something: ‘You have to cherish what you have.’ And she’s really pushed that mindset onto me. She’s always reminding me to focus on the things that I have. There’s so much to be grateful for. The Canadian government pays for my apartment and healthcare. My friends held a fundraiser so that I could get a handicapped van. I’ve even gone back to school. There’s so much assistive technology, I can do design work with my mouth. And most importantly I have a sister I can talk to every day. Who knows me. And gets me. And shares the same deep roots. Someone who pushes me and tells me that she’s proud of me. And who makes me want to give back in the same way she gives to me.” -- source link
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