Getting up in the morning, walking and running around like everyone else never seems like something special until you can no longer do these things. In a body that stubbornly refuses to move, life dramatically changes. A person with a spinal cord injury (Refers to damage to the spinal medulla. ) must learn how to do things in other ways without any instruction manual.
Whether it is a pre-existing or new condition, due to trauma (Any lesion or injury produced within a limited area of the body resulting from an external violent action of shock. ), a degenerative illness, or a spinal cord injury (Refers to damage to the spinal medulla. ), no one is prepared to deal with an extreme situation such as being a paraplegic or a tetraplegic. The person is propelled in a whole new way of life that depends on physical, psychological and social rehabilitation.
Although the physical damage may be understood from a medical perspective, it is perhaps more difficult to understand the invisible pain in the inner world. Over the years, Kim and Patrick learnt how to recognize and name this reality.