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Kristy Justus

CHRISTMAS MUSICAL
Saturday December 09,2006 7:00PM
Henry County Proforming Art Center
For more information Contact:
Kelly Reid (678)409-9088

Journal

Friday, August 4, 2006 12:01 AM CDT

Most of you who check this site know me personally and know what I have been through over the past 3 1/2 years. But for those of you who don't, this update will give you a better understanding of who I am and what I've been through. This new update is basically just me reflecting back on my life (then and now) and realizing how lucky I am to be alive today. I also posted this update on my myspace page with a new slide show. The slide show has pictures dating back from a couple of days before my accident to the present. The link is still at the bottom of the page. After watching the slide show I realized just how far I have come. It wasn't too long ago that I was on the ventilator and fighting for every breath. I'm sure some of you remember those touch and go days when my life could have went either way. I have so much to be thankful for and I just wanted to share. Remember, never take anything or anyone for granted because you never know when it or they could be taken away from you.

My name is Kristy and I am 25 years old. I live in Locust Grove, Georgia and I feel blessed each day that I am able to wake up and take a deep breath. A little over three years ago my life as I knew it was instantly changed. On November 18, 2002 during an intramural flag football game, at West Georgia University, I sustained a spinal cord injury that left me paralyzed from the neck down and on the ventilator. I was in ICU with tubes down my nose and throat, unable to communicate with my family and friends as they came in the room two by two to see me. My eyes gazed up as they stood over me, some looked frightened, some forced a smile, and others cried. I laid there literally fighting for every breath and thinking about how easy my life was just the day before.

Prior to my accident I was a college student who lived life to its fullest. My major was Biology and I had planned on going to pharmacy school. I was an outgoing individual and would try anything once. I was very athletic and enjoyed playing softball, basketball, soccer, football and anything else that I could get myself into. I thought I was in total control of my life, instead of living day to day; I was busy planning my future. However, to my surprise someone else had an entirely different plan for my life. I am a firm believer in everything happens for a reason, whether it is good or bad. I had no control over what happened to me because it was a freak accident. During the game I went up to intercept a pass when I knocked the ball down and the intended receivers momentum caused her to fall on top of me snapping my neck. The paralysis was immediate and the shortness of breath followed soon after while I was lying there waiting for an ambulance to arrive. I was conscious through the whole experience and still remember every detail as if it happened yesterday. It was not until after surgery when I woke up on the ventilator in ICU that I realized how tough things were going to be.

I was in ICU for nine days and then I was taken to a private room where I began the fight of my life. Not only did the doctors tell me I would never walk again but they also told me I would most likely be vent dependent for the rest of my life. Breathing is something we do and never even think twice about, it is just second nature. Breathe in and out, yes it sounds so easy until you can no longer do it on your own. There was nothing I could do to make my body move but I could do the breathing exercises to make my diaphragm stronger. After working hard to strengthen my diaphragm, the day came for me to start weaning off the vent. The first day was absolutely devastating, I was only off the vent for 45 seconds and I began to feel like I was going to suffocate. I was determined to beat that machine and I found the strength each day to do better. Day by day, 45 seconds turned into 30 minutes, 30 minutes turned into 2 hours and so on. Two and half months later, I was doing what the doctors thought I would never do, I was breathing on my own. Breathing is one thing a long with a lot of other things that we take for granted each day. I never realized how much effort it took to take just one breath, until I was fighting for each breath. In the beginning I had to consciously remind myself to breathe in and out, now I am able to breathe on my own and I no longer take breathing for granted. The saying "Stop and Smell the Roses" means so much more to me now.

After spending several months at the Shepard Center in Atlanta, Georgia I was released and sent home. This was very overwhelming for my mom and me. On one hand we were very excited about being home but on the other we were also very nervous. Yes, I was very fortunate to be able to go home without the ventilator but I still could not move a muscle below my shoulders. I was no longer able to be the independent individual that I once was and I had to become dependent on everyone around me. I could not do the things that I could do before, like brushing my teeth, feeding myself or brushing my hair. All the things that I took for granted before I could no longer do. I thank God every day that I have such a wonderful mom and family who have been there for me. My mom is a very amazing woman and I cherish her with all my heart. She takes care of me 24 hours a day and she is the most selfless person that I know. Without her there is no way that I could function on a daily basis. She gets me out of bed, she puts me in my chair, she does my hair, and she does everything else that an able-bodied person can do, she does it all for me.

After two years of being very patient and diligently searching for something that may help me gain some mobility, I found a procedure that I believe I can benefit from. On February 5, 2005 I traveled to Lisbon, Portugal to participate in experimental adult stem cell surgery. The procedure was developed and performed by Dr. Carlos Lima, a neuropathologist at the Hospital Egas Moniz. During the procedure the olfactory mucosa, which contains several different types of cells including stem cells is harvested from the lining of the nasal cavity. Then the cells are surgically implanted into the spinal cord lesion to stimulate regeneration of the neural connections across the damaged spinal cord segment.

My surgery was just the first step of the process. The surgery has given me much hope and a chance of regaining some mobility. The next step includes me participating in a very intense therapy program. Since my surgery I have already begun to see improvements and I am getting stronger every day. Although I have seen improvements, I still have a long road ahead of me. I'm in therapy three days a week for three to four hours a day at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, Georgia.

Three years after my accident I am still confined to a chair. I maneuver my chair as gracefully as possible by sipping and puffing into a straw. I have continued to live my life to the fullest and have not let being paralyzed slow me down. I still enjoy shopping, going to the movies and hanging out with friends. I continue today to do the same things that I did before my accident, but I have to take a different approach than I did before. Since my accident I have returned to college to continue my education. I am back in school and I am a student at Clayton College and State University. Upon returning back to school I changed my major to Psychology. I hope one day to become a counselor or psychologist of some sort. I would love to be able to help people deal with situations similar to the one that I have been living for the past three years.

Like I said earlier, I had no control over what happened to me, it was an accident that took place during an innocent flag football game. However, as an individual I did have control on how I would react to and handle the situation. Never did I imagine that I would be involved in an incident that would be so life altering. From the beginning, I chose to be positive and optimistic through the experience. I knew that being negative would only make things harder and acting that way was not going to make me walk again. My accident took away my independence, something that I truly cherished. However, it did not take away my spirit and the strength I have within me. Yes, not being able to move my body has been a major adjustment but it was something that I had to do. When people look at me I do not want them to feel pity, I want them to see someone with a positive outlook on life. I believe that the trials you go through during life only make you stronger. I want people to look at me and realize that no matter how difficult things may be there is a way to get through the tough times. I do not feel sorry for myself because I know there are people who are going or have been through more traumatic experiences than myself.

My life as I knew it was changed in a split-second but there was nothing I or anyone else could have done to prevent it. I'm not angry at the world or God because my life was turned totally upside down. I know there is a greater purpose for everything that has happened. I do not know what it is yet but I am certain God is preparing me for something great. I just have to remain faithful and have a positive attitude through it all.

Yes, I may be in a wheelchair (for now), I may feel limited physically (for now) and I may feel at times like I get lost in the shuffle (again for now). But I know that there is a purpose for my life. The past three years I feel like I have been able to touch people's lives that otherwise I would not have been able to. Words cannot express how much this surgery has already impacted my life. I have been paralyzed for a little over three years and at the time of my injury the doctors told me that I would not ever walk again. However, they did proceed to tell me I could still have a good life from my wheelchair. I refused to believe their prognosis from the beginning and to this day I still feel the same way. I know that the task ahead of me is not going to be easy but I’m very excited about what God holds for my future. I know He can give me strength to get through anything. For the past three years I have rolled with God and I cannot wait until I am able to walk with God again.

 



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Links:

http://www.healingtherapies.info/OlfactoryTissue2.htm   surgery
http://www.arbonne.com   Arbonne
http://www.myspace.com/itismekristyleigh   MySpace


 

E-mail Author: kristyjustus@hotmail.com

 
 

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