New Prospects

Plans have a way of changing as time passes on. Just like I didn’t plan on my accident, I haven’t planned on everything that has happened in the last couple of years. It’s hard to figure out where to start, or to put everything in words, but here it goes.

The years following my accident, and initial recovery, were full of ups and downs, surprises and disappointments, and unexpected events at every turn. The “Ride for Life” that I planned on conducting, didn’t work out. I’ve come to realize that it doesn’t take a big event to change lives, but we can change lives one person at a time; on a very personal level.

I worked for Caldwell Correctional Center for 4 years. This was following my completion of High School in 2002. I was a Correctional Officer. It was a good experience, and I saw a lot of people who, like myself, have made bad choices and are paying for it in their own way. My condition is like my own prison, and in that way I could relate to the inmates. In 2006 I left the prison, and I was not sure what the future held for me.

After weeks of staying home, and not having a job, I decided to leave Olla, for Ruston, to visit my physical therapist and speech therapist who helped me recover after the accident. While I was in the hospital, I had established a strong relationship with these two. I had no idea what direction my friendship with them was about to take.

While I was staying with them, Cort, my physical therapist, asked me if I would move to Ruston and take care of his aging and ailing mother. I immediately said yes. I never thought that I would become as close to Mrs. Joan, Cort’s mother, as I have. I never thought I would have taken this job so personally, and that it would have become such a passion for me.

Everyday, when I get up, I get ready and take Mrs. Joan to hair appointments, the Council on Aging, doctor’s appointments, therapy, Wal-Mart, the library, or the park. Everyday is an adventure. We also cook together, watch T.V., and, at the age of 78, she even got a tattoo with me! She is an amazing person who I care about deeply.

Soon my job will take me away from Louisiana, which, despite the fact that I will miss my family, has always been a dream of mine. Mrs. Joan has bought land in Colorado, and soon all of us will move there. In the mean time, we will be visiting other states so Mrs. Joan can visit her family. I am excited to go see the world.

This is not just a job for me. It has given me a feeling, or a sense, that I am needed, and have purpose. After my wreck, and being confined to a wheelchair, it would be easy to feel like I am the needy one. My relationship with Mrs. Joan shows me that I can also be needed, and mean something to others.

In 2007 Mrs. Joan and I began visiting the local library. She likes to listen to audio books, and this was the obvious place to get them. While there I met B. J., one of the librarians, and we started hanging out, and established a friendship. Since my wreck I have questioned people’s ability to be a true friend. B. J. has been a real friend to me, and this is in comparison to the superficial friendships I had before my wreck. When I had my wreck, my “friends” were no where to be found. I wondered where they went, and I had to ask myself, if one of them had had the wreck, would I have been there for them… probably not. It took me going through this accident to see what commitment is. B. J. and I have hung out a lot in the past year. We have gone together to Little Rock, with another friend, to the Little Rock Nine 5 K Run. I am glad that I have been able to continue to have experiences like this.

I’m looking forward to this new world that is about to open, and the people I am about to met. I hope I can have a positive impact on the people I meet and the places I go.