Hi! My name's Fair. That's right..Fair. F-A-I-R. (I think I was named because my mom conceived me at a fair..I DON'T know WHY I was named "Fair"!) But it IS my name, and I have since gotten used to it by now!
I am ALMOST 15 years old, and I have short, BRIGHT red hair and blue eyes, and I have freckles across the bridge of my nose and on my cheeks. I am not a bad-looking kid..that is, if one can look past the electric wheelchair and the respirator tube connected to my throat. Not many people can, and ever since that accident that happened when I was 11 1/2, my life has been a living HELL. I am totally paralyzed from my neck on down, and I can't breathe without a respirator.
Before I was paralyzed, I was a normal little boy in every way. I loved to play baseball, I loved to play basketball, and I was a very fast runner. Let's face it: I was your basic, regular athlete. Anything to do with sports, chances were you'd find me right in the middle of the game! I also loved to play pedal steel guitar, and I was coming along in my lessons; and my dream was to play at the Grand Ole Opry and become a professional steel guitarist like maybe Buddy Emmons or Weldon Myrick, who were two of my biggest heroes! But then THAT day happened, and my dreams instantly vanished forever.
I remember that day well..I was always doing stupid dives off the diving board. Taking crazy chances. I was going to attempt to do a double backflip before hitting the water, but my aim came up short, and my head connected with the diving board and I felt (and heard) something in my neck go "Ping!", and then instantly, everything went numb. I fell into the water, and I sunk to the bottom. When I came to, I was in the hospital, and they were doing something to my throat. I don't remember much, but I remember I couldn't breathe, and I couldn't feel a thing. It was like my head had come disconnected from my body, and it scared the living hell out of me. I honestly thought for a moment that I had just died, and that the people in white standing around me were angels.
But then I learned that I had suffered a broken neck, and that I would be rendered a quadriplegic forever and ever. That meant I no longer could move my arms or legs, and since the break was so high up it affected my breathing, and I would need to breathe with the assistance of a ventilator. I was in the hospital for months, and I then was released to a rehabilation hospital where I underwent extensive therapy. To this day, I still can't move my legs, but I CAN somewhat move my arms; and I have since learned to type by using a pointer attached to a band around my head (which is how I am typing this now). It takes a very long time for me to type, and I get tired easily. But I still do it to keep my brain sharp. I also am learning how to paint by holding a brush in my mouth. But as for anything else..eating, getting dressed/undressed, my toilet habits, bathing, etc...I need total assistance. I also need to be suctioned every few hours, and I have to take medications to help keep my lungs clear. If I get sick it could prove to be disasterous for me.
My mood IS a little brighter nowadays, especially since I AM home on weekends, but I usually stay at the nursing home; and that is depressing in itself. I am the only kid besides another little boy (his name's Aaron, and he had a devastating stroke); the rest of the residents there are old people. At least I have Aaron to talk to, but I miss being at home with my mother and my younger sister, Jacqui, who is 12 and is blind. But even SHE has more of a life than I do; and that bothers me. She may not see, but she does just about anything a normal kid does, and here I am, her older brother, and even though I have my eyes and my vision, I DON'T have anything else. I am totally dependent on others for my medical and personal care, and it really bugs me at times! Mom is always glad to have me home on weekends, but I can tell that the strain of my being paralyzed is starting to take a toll on her. She looks tired all of the time, and she is greyer now than she was before I dove off that board wrong. She is starting to look like a little old lady.
beautiful, encouraging write...despite the disability, fair is trying to live as normal a life as he can...if people will only give him the chance to let him shine. (((HUGS))) and love, karla.
Children love to sink their teeth into sweet and delicious fruit. This story and teaching will have them sinking their hearts into the Fruit of the Spirit.
