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Amanda AntworthWaterville, NB Hometown:originally from Halifax Occupation: a mom Favourite food: lasagna Favourite pastime: playing on the computer Favourite television show: Grey's Anatomy Favourite music group:Fall Out Boy Mentor: my mom |
It's a fight to try |
Tell me about your injury and how it affects your mobility:
I have a spinal cord injury, quadriplegia. My injury is C05 - an injury to the cervical fifth vertebra. I have a lot of nerve damage in my arms that is very painful. I use an electric scooter to get around... I have a wheel chair accessible van that someone else drives - thankfully! I have to have 24 hour care...
Tell me about the day you were injured and what happened next:
It was back in July of 1999. It was kind of a disastrous day from the beginning. My truck broke down, and then I got a flat tire. My friends and I went out by McBride's Bridge to swim. We were sitting on the side of the road and some friends came along with four wheelers and we went for a drive. I was driving and the four wheeler flipped over when I crossed a ditch... the four wheeler came back and landed on top of me.
I thought initially that I had just knocked the wind out of myself. I asked my friends to lift me up and get me back on my feet. Then someone said they shouldn't move me. The ambulance took me to the Woodstock hospital and in the first x-ray the doctor couldn't see anything wrong with me. The doctor was sure I could move my legs. But I couldn't move my legs or my arms. He did another x-ray and told me that I would be transferred to Saint John. I stayed in the Saint John Regional Hospital until the end of July. I was on oxygen and I had to stay in Saint John because I couldn't be on oxygen at the Stan Cassidy Centre. I couldn't wait to go to the Stan Cassidy Centre. My mom would wheel me down to the pay phone every day to call the Stan Cassidy Centre to find out when they could admit me.
Who have been the greatest supports in your life?
My mom and my grandmother, definitely. My mom lives with me and she completely put her on life on hold for me and she is completely devoted to me. She has helped me raise Mackenzie. She completely stands by me whatever I want to do. I remember her telling me when I was in the hospital: "We are strong women. You come from a line of strong women. If you want to fight this, I promise I will be there for everything you need."
What do you believe are the top issues facing people with spinal cord injuries in New Brunswick? What needs to be done to address these issues?
One thing is accessibility. Most places that say they are accessible
are actually not accessible. There should be no place where I can't get in....
Another thing is getting people to realize that just because people are sitting down
and not standing up, they are no different than anybody else. People need to be
educated about it... we need to educate everywhere... we need to educate people
from the time they are small children in schools.
Why do you feel the CPA (N.B.) Inc. services are important?
When I was in the Stan Cassidy Centre for Rehabilitation a CPA (N.B.) counsellor came and introduced the organization to me from the very beginning. The CPA (N.B.) services are important because people don't realize what is out there and how to get things for themselves. I wouldn't know about services available to me without the CPA (N.B.)'s help.
What does the future look like for you?
The future looks bright for me! I look forward to watching my beautiful daughter grow-up. I think there will be many exciting opportunities as well as challenges. The way I look at it is "take everyday as a gift and live life to the fullest."
What message do you have for someone who has just incurred a spinal cord injury or someone with a physical disability?
Keep your head up. Just because you have an injury it doesn't mean your life should be over. It just means that there are different challenges ahead of you.
Based on an interview with Haley Flaro, Executive Director, CPA (N.B.) Inc. on August 23, 2006.