A young woman battles transverse myelitis, which left her partially paralyzed; and she refuses to let her disability stop her.
My aunt, Crystal Montgomery, is now 25 years old, and she has been disabled for all her life. She was born mute and is unable to talk like you or I can, but with sign language, she can make her thoughts or desires known. Other than that, she was remarkably healthy, and remained so throughout her entire life.
Then last year, she was suddenly struck down with a rare inflammational disorder that hit her spinal cord, resulting in partial paralysis and leaving her dependent on a wheelchair or, for shorter trips, Lofstrand crutches and leg braces. She has something called transverse myelitis. It is where the spinal cord becomes inflammed, and it can be mild or result in total paralysis. Hers was moderate to severe; this is why she can't walk without crutches for short trips or uses a wheelchair most other times. She had been visiting our house that day when the illness struck. That day, my little sister, Ronee', had an especially severe asthma attack/anaphylactic shock reaction when she was stung by a bee, and stopped breathing; and it was when my aunt was trying to revive her that the problem hit with little warning. Now, instead of just one patient (my little sister), the paramedics that had been on call now had two: Ronee', my little sister, AND my aunt Crystal, who was having problems moving her legs and complaining of numbness and tingling in them.
Crystal was in the hospital for several weeks until tests and further diagnostics could be made; and in the end, it was discovered that she had this transverse myelitis. (Sometimes people who get it CAN recover, but more often than not, it does leave them with SOME form of permanent disability, which is the case with my aunt.) She can now feel her legs, but only partially, and she says they still feel like they are halfway asleep. She can even move them a little, but she can't stand up on her own except with braces or crutches; and when she DOES walk, it is only for short distances. She still gets tired, so she still prefers the wheelchair over the braces and crutches. She says that the braces and Lofstrand crutches are nothing but a big hassle, and she hates them.
Crystal's illness has been a devastating experience for us all, but it has been especially difficult for Erick, her husband, and their oldest child, a daughter named Mogene, who is now three-and-a-half. Mogene is still asking when her mommy will get up and walk again. (Crystal and Erick also have a baby boy about a year old named Derick.) Erick has had to take some time from his schooling to be with his wife during those uncertain and scary first weeks following the illness; and it has only been within the past six months to where he has been able to return back to medical school. (He is studying to become a pediatrician, and he just recently completed his internship and is now in a residency program. During the winter, he works at the ski resort in Gatlinsburg, where he works on the Ski Patrol. This was how he and Crystal had met; Crystal had been skiing, and she was then hurt in a particularly nasty fall [she broke her ankle], and Erick was the one who had taken care of her.) Eventually, they both fell in love, and they then got married, where they are now man and wife.
Crystal has had to make many adjustments regarding her disability, but she is bound and determined not to let it get to her. Sure, she gets frustrated at times at not being able to get around as easily as she once could, and she also gets frustrated at having to depend on other people to help her get dressed or get her from place to place, but she is learning to accept her condition, and she is also learning to go on with her life and to find a job that she can do. She has been looking for gainful employment ever since she got out of the hospital and then the rehab center, and so far, she has found nothing; but she is still determined to find that job. She has learned that people aren't always so accepting towards those with disabilities, but she is determined to prove these people wrong and get into the working field. Right now, she would be happy with anything; she is tired of sitting on her butt at home with two active children at home. She wants to be a part of the community, and she wants to make something out of herself.
I will keep you updated on Tante Crystal from time to time as things develop.
Let this coming of age story of a boy named Bean take you back to a simple time. Set in a small southern town in the 1960's, encircled by a river and gleaming white cotton fields.
