Tetraplegia: Tragedy to Triumph
"Tetraplegia: Tragedy to Triumph" is a short documentary that follows Amanda Lowry's life after she broke her neck on a sandbar after diving off her surfboard. Amanda suffered a spinal cord injury after breaking her neck and was paralyzed from her neck down. She still has mobility in her arms but has limited hand movements and has a motorized wheelchair that she uses to navigate her environment. Since we are studying spinal cord injuries I thought it would be beneficial for me to watch a short documentary on a person who has experienced this injury to learn more about their healing process and the challenges they face so that I have a better understanding of what someone is experiencing first hand.
First of all, Amanda is a very strong and motivated person who understands her limitations but does not let that stop her from mastering the skills that she can. Amanda said that although she will never accept her injury, she will do her best to master it so that she can be comfortable with her reality. Amanda also mentioned that having a spinal cord injury is physically demanding, but it is also an intellectual journey. Since you aren't getting any response from your body, you have to problem-solve your way through physically moving different body parts into various positions. This was something I had never considered before and really made me think about how often we rely on our tactile and proprioceptive senses and responses to move our bodies. I think that it would be important to not only work with our client on physical skills, but also challenge them mentally to strengthen their problem-solving skills.
One important part of the documentary that stood out to me was when Amanda said that it was her role/job to be a chef and gardener for her family and that was her main goal when she leaves the rehab facility (Hello OT!). She also mentions that she wants to be an active member of her family when she leaves rehab because she did not want to be a "dud". Besides losing their independence and mobility I think the hardest thing for people with a SCI is feeling as if they are a burden to others. I think this is because the way our society has treated individuals with mobility difficulties in the past, especially those who use wheelchairs. Although we have made great progress in making our society more accessible, I believe it is a stigma that is still prevalent today.
I really valued how Amanda and her partner Gemma kept saying "this is normal" and finding little things to make their new situation feel normal, like watching TV, going to the park, and engaging in every day activities. I believe it will be important for me as a therapist to remind clients that although they may have a new way of doing things in their every day lives, that this is normal for them and that's something they need to focus on. The new normal might also feel very strange to the client once they reintegrate into the real world outside of rehab/therapy. One major thing to remember as a therapist working towards your clients goals is that we need to remember the environment they will be going back into. The therapy world, especially inpatient, is very different from the outside world and its important to prepare our clients to be ready for the challenges they may face.
I encourage everyone to take 30 minutes out of their day to watch Amanda's story, it gave me new insights that I will carry with me through my journey as an occupational therapist.
Amanda's Documentary: https://attitudelive.com/player-page/tetraplegia-tragedy-to-triumph/
First of all, Amanda is a very strong and motivated person who understands her limitations but does not let that stop her from mastering the skills that she can. Amanda said that although she will never accept her injury, she will do her best to master it so that she can be comfortable with her reality. Amanda also mentioned that having a spinal cord injury is physically demanding, but it is also an intellectual journey. Since you aren't getting any response from your body, you have to problem-solve your way through physically moving different body parts into various positions. This was something I had never considered before and really made me think about how often we rely on our tactile and proprioceptive senses and responses to move our bodies. I think that it would be important to not only work with our client on physical skills, but also challenge them mentally to strengthen their problem-solving skills.
One important part of the documentary that stood out to me was when Amanda said that it was her role/job to be a chef and gardener for her family and that was her main goal when she leaves the rehab facility (Hello OT!). She also mentions that she wants to be an active member of her family when she leaves rehab because she did not want to be a "dud". Besides losing their independence and mobility I think the hardest thing for people with a SCI is feeling as if they are a burden to others. I think this is because the way our society has treated individuals with mobility difficulties in the past, especially those who use wheelchairs. Although we have made great progress in making our society more accessible, I believe it is a stigma that is still prevalent today.
I really valued how Amanda and her partner Gemma kept saying "this is normal" and finding little things to make their new situation feel normal, like watching TV, going to the park, and engaging in every day activities. I believe it will be important for me as a therapist to remind clients that although they may have a new way of doing things in their every day lives, that this is normal for them and that's something they need to focus on. The new normal might also feel very strange to the client once they reintegrate into the real world outside of rehab/therapy. One major thing to remember as a therapist working towards your clients goals is that we need to remember the environment they will be going back into. The therapy world, especially inpatient, is very different from the outside world and its important to prepare our clients to be ready for the challenges they may face.
I encourage everyone to take 30 minutes out of their day to watch Amanda's story, it gave me new insights that I will carry with me through my journey as an occupational therapist.
Amanda's Documentary: https://attitudelive.com/player-page/tetraplegia-tragedy-to-triumph/
Site designed and developed by Journey digital ltd, A. (2017, March 19). Tetraplegia: Tragedy To Triumph. Retrieved August 02, 2020, from https://attitudelive.com/player-page/tetraplegia-tragedy-to-triumph/
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