My paralysis story plus a fun way to tell kids what paralysis means

[@Jaggededge112]

Rest in peace Blake. I’m sorry that you had such a horrific accident. I’m glad that you made it through.

[@EmpoweredPara]

Thanks Shannon! I'm glad too!

[@RobertRees-o3l]

What a great way of explaining paralysis Brittney. Kids always ask the best uninhibited questions and want to understand.

[@EmpoweredPara]

They sure do!!!

[@Jaggededge112]

I love the way you tell kids what paralysis is. That is such a great way to explain it. You’re an amazing teacher ❤.

[@EmpoweredPara]

@Jaggededge112 thanks!

[@WheelchairWonders]

Me? .. A head on car crash .. a drunk person hit me.. 17 years ago.. yet I love cars.. Thank you for sharing .. (Phil)

[@EmpoweredPara]

Wow, that's hard. Did the driver get charged?

[@WheelchairWonders]

@@EmpoweredPara Oh yes..

[@EmpoweredPara]

@@WheelchairWonders thank goodness.

[@bowjjj3]

​@EmpoweredPara Similar story for me... Though a distracted driver, 44 years ago when I was 21. I like your power cord analogy and will borrow it ;)

[@cpr58]

Have heard the story before and made me cry then also. I like the story explaining what Paralysis is. I think it might help a few adults understand also

[@susietopspin]

I knew your story already as I’ve been following for a long time. So sad but you are so brave and are an amazing individual.

[@westiepower2020]

OMG, Eighty Feet!! I didn’t realize it was that far. I thought it was only 10 or 20 feet. Yes, you are extremely lucky to be alive. I appreciate you even more now. And you are thriving, and accomplishing so much with your life!

[@scottdelong1]

Your experience is quite similar to mine. I crashed my motorcycle on a wet city street at low speed. I read the police report that said I hit a curb and was launched into a street sign, resulting in a broken arm, several broken ribs which lacerated my lungs, and a T11 complete spinal cord injury. I have no memory from a half hour before the injury until eight hours later when I woke up in a hospital. A pickup truck had T-boned me the night before, braking off the rear brake pedal. This is no problem in the dry but in the wet it is deadly. I'm speculating that a car pulled out in front of me and the front brake locked up. Although I was wearing a helmet my bell was thoroughly rung. I suffered gross tremors in my hands and a personality change, both of which cleared up after two rough years. I didn't have medical insurance and when I asked to speak to a therapist the hospital sent a chaplin which was not much of a help as I am a staunch atheist. After three months in the hospital I was dumped into a hellish nursing home, forced to lie in my own waste. This caused severe sepsis and osteomyelitis. I was sent to the hospital, shivering with a 104 degree fever and someone scrawled on my orders "do not return patient to this facility." To this day IDK whether this anonymous human didn't like me or knew the facility was substandard. This person saved my life. The next place wasn't as bad and I learned that lacking outside support, my treatment was my responsibility and I couldn't leave it up to the facility. It's been a long tough road since then but I'm adapting the best I can. Before I was a cripple I knew a Frenchman who had an identical injury to mine, also from a bike accident. With universal healthcare he received intensive therapy and was able to travel the world alone, something I could never do, lacking the training. Therapy has been a joke; I had to devise a method of getting in and out of bed all by myself. Had I lived in a country with universal single payer healthcare my life would be very different. It's significant that the USA is the only First World alleged democracy that lacks universal health care. Your videos are an inspiration to me, you've adapted to your condition with grace and good humor and I admire you for that. Keep 'em coming!

[@EmpoweredPara]

Holy shit. That is the kind of treatment you get in the US without health insurance? I am so grateful for universal Healthcare here in Canada .

[@scottdelong1]

@@EmpoweredPara - It certainly is, with variation between different states. Some are worse. The USA is the only First World presumed democracy that doesn't offer universal single payer healthcare. And I'm grateful for having a roof over my head and for the care I have received. I even had a bladder reconstruction that must have cost near six figures that greatly enhanced my quality of life, enabling me to catheterize myself instead of having an indwelling catheter which would have eventually led to kidney failure. But therapy has been nonexistent or useless. I had to devise a method to get in and out of bed (a trapeze). Yes, I AM grateful for the care I'm getting; had I been injured in the Third World I'd be dead. Nevertheless, had I been in a more civilized country like yours or mon ami Francaise's I'm sure I would have fared much better. And given recent political changes here I fear the situation will become even worse.

[@EmpoweredPara]

@scottdelong1 i'll definitely be keeping up on any the Trump administrations disability policies. I'm more optimistic than most.

[@scottdelong1]

@@EmpoweredPara Wish I was Canadian. Or European. Knew a Frenchman with same injury and his outcome was FAR more favorable than mine.

[@cfalkner1012]

Thanks for the story. And what a good analogy to help kids, and anyone, understand. It works for those of us with incomplete injuries too. The power cord is damaged and frayed, so the TV doesn’t work right.

[@EmpoweredPara]

Yep I explain incomplete injuries in that exact way!

[@westiepower2020]

Hey Brittney, my wife and I love your example about the power source, the electrical cord and the piece of electronics! This is a great analogy to explain it to kids in a way that they all have experience with and therefore it is applicable to them! Keep up the great work!

[@sammyp4603]

God bless you god bless this post im so greatfull to have found your page your are such an inspiration Iv recently had a catastrophic car accident that's left me a C2 complete quadriplegic and I'm ventilator dependent I'm really really struggling with everything since my accident as my life has been turned upsidedown and your posts are helping God bless you your such a star

[@EmpoweredPara]

@sammyp4603 even though our disabilities are different and our lives with a disability will look very different, I know what those feelings of despair are like. Hang in there. I follow a few people that are ventilator dependent quads on Instagram and they might be helpful to you !

[@EmpoweredPara]

@@sammyp4603 facebook.com/share/1SpmsGLw1N/ Here is one ventilator dependent quad

[@theresainns4342]

I always explain my leg issues as my brain and legs have had a huge argument and they refuse to talk to each other, and I am stuck in the middle.

[@EmpoweredPara]

Lol that's a good one, especially for incomplete injuries 🤣. Just terrible communication skills lol

[@hughtruex]

You always amaze me! I haven't seen your videos in a LONG time and you popped up exactly when I needed your wisdom. Your life outlook is just what I need at this time.

[@EmpoweredPara]

@@hughtruex welcome back!

[@heynercarrillomartinez3361]

GOD BLESS YOU,

[@OnwardMotion]

That's a very good way to explain it, thank you for sharing.

[@EmpoweredPara]

You're very welcome!

[@FreddotheWheelchairGuy]

Great vid Brit!

[@EmpoweredPara]

Thank you! 😁

[@westiepower2020]

I posted this comment in the wrong spot.. Whoops, I’m falling behind, again. Very down-to-earth easy to understand explanation with the power cord. You explain it well even to “mature” adults like myself. I wish more of my friends would watch this video. Please reassure your mom that the accident is in no way her fault, and Brit, I want to say to you that please do not think that it is your fault either in any way. Accidents just happen. And you have worked very hard and shown great strength in so many ways, and the result is that you have built yourself, and your family, a great wonderful life. You are doing things that many of us can only dream of! I hope you are proud every day of the person you have become! Kudos Brit!!

[@EmpoweredPara]

Thanks Jim!

[@quintonharvey1957]

Thanks again for sharing your story. I hope to become a better advocate by following your channel!

[@gtrguyinaz]

Yes Brit…. I remember the story of how it happened…. Peace River ? I know this place…. Really rural and small..

[@EmpoweredPara]

Yep!

[@bulldog6925]

Great analogy for paralysis! Bless you and keep educating the way that you do!

[@EmpoweredPara]

Thank you! Will do!

[@Warren1814]

Me(short version)? I was in a car wreck. Where my family was going i don't remember is because i was to young to know or remember any of it. I was in the back seat of a 65 Mustang, sitting on my brother's lap with my back against the side wall of the passenger side backseats. Our light was green i was told and was going to take a right and bang a big old Buick hit is on my side of the car. Broke my back according to the medical docs i got to read later on when i got older. So here i am today paralyzed from my chest down as well. My old brother's jaw was broken.. his injury healed and mine didn't and the rest of my family wasn't hurt at all. But, Nobody else was hurt either and nobody died from that car accident so etc.

[@janedarby7521]

are you still using D-Mannose? do you take other stuff at same time? What do you take for pain? Enjoy watching your channel, have for awhile now.❤❤

[@EmpoweredPara]

I'll make a video about those things!!!

[@janedarby7521]

@@EmpoweredPara YAY!

[@LoriWolfeRealtor]

Hello thanks I didn’t know and had wondered. Have a good day. 😊

[@EmpoweredPara]

You're welcome!

[@westiepower2020]

Re: Short Raw Videos - I understand what casters are, but I don’t understand how the wheelchair brakes work, or what the “H” frame is. Maybe a short video some time on the parts of a wheelchair and how it works?

[@DesAMowadeng]

I love that explanation! Half the adults in my world could use it as well. I wasn't in an accident, but born with a defect of the spine/spinal cord called Spina Bifida!

[@EmpoweredPara]

It presents very similar so you guys ofteb get lumped in with spinal cord injury. Your power cord was left unprotected at birth!

[@DesAMowadeng]

@EmpoweredPara Exactly! Trying to explain to people that physically we are similar and have things in common with SCI, but because we were born this way it's all we've ever know so there's nothing to miss per sa and nothing happened gets interesting 😆 IE: other than with braces and a walker or crutches I've never known what it was like to walk. Therefore, don't miss it in the same way as you might having the ability to and then losing it in the blink of an eye. Or in your case a two week nap!

[@EmpoweredPara]

@DesMowadeng Haha yeah it was indeed a 2 week nap lol. Apparently I was awake then, but I have zero memory of it. I guess I was swearing at people and being awful lol.

[@markrhodes3983]

Hi Brittney, you are so lucky and extremely brave. Sorry to ask you !. How did you manage to accept all the changes. You are so positive. I do apologise for asking you. I had an accident at work about a couple of years ago. I can not say, but I have multiple situations from that accident. Finding things really hard to accept.

[@EmpoweredPara]

I'll make a video about that!! Stay tuned!

[@markrhodes3983]

That would be really appreciated, Brittney. Thanks ever so much. You're so positive. Thanks for your help and the videos. 👍

[@danielhao5595]

I wish you could just get a new power cord.

[@EmpoweredPara]

Yeah wouldn't that be nice!

[@livingdifferently470]

It does get bland and mundane of explaing my paralysis and why my legs don't work. But it gets better in the later half when I explain what happened after.😊

[@EmpoweredPara]

Yeah it's an old story for us and a brand new story for everyone else lol

[@naimarrofiq3707]

How do you deal with nerve pain and spasms if they recur?

[@EmpoweredPara]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZnqqpKqGip5gZ8U Here's a video i did about that!

[@johnvelas70]

I need more gooder friends. They say my brain is un-connected from my body.

[@Robbieboy420z]

Youre so pretty

[@EmpoweredPara]

Why, thank you 😊

[@gregelliott3556]

What is your level of injury ?

[@EmpoweredPara]

T6

[@naimarrofiq3707]

Please make a video on how to urinate using a pouch-style catheter that you usually use on a plane

[@waderegan6168]

I was born with Spina Bifida & sometimes I struggle to explain what it is to kids. I'm not even sure if I explain it to adults properly LOL

[@EmpoweredPara]

Yeah that one is harder to explain. Birth defect that left your power cord unprotected if you want to run with my analogy lol

[@waderegan6168]

@EmpoweredPara Somehow, I have been able to get away with " was just born unable to walk." I guess Ontario kids just don't care as much to ask more questions. LOL

[@EmpoweredPara]

@waderegan6168 lol kids like ro waste time during school so questions suddenly come out of the wood work!

[@edl5731]

"Lucky for me I wore out my mom and she let me go" Um....I think it would have been luckier if mom had remained steadfast and "ruined" your life by not letting you go snowmobiling with your new friends.

[@EmpoweredPara]

Yes, my mom tells herself that everyday, even 25 years later. I am very lucky to be alive though and who knows what my life would have been like had I not been paralyzed, so I still feel very grateful for everything that I have gone through in my life including my accident.

[@Jaggededge112]

@@EmpoweredParayour mom shouldn’t hold any guilt as no one could’ve predicted your accident. You are alive and that is what matters. Sadly your friend didn’t make it but that isn’t anyone fault and it could’ve happened whether or not you were there. You have a beautiful life and a gorgeous family that anyone would be happy to have.

[@EmpoweredPara]

@Jaggededge112 I tell my mom that but it still bothers her . Indeed, my life IS beautiful!

[@janedarby7521]

@@EmpoweredPara she has to be proud of how you turned out!

[@westiepower2020]

Whoops, I’m falling behind, again. Very down-to-earth easy to understand explanation about the power source cord. Explains it well to adults even as old as me as well.

[@charles_wipman]

The kids are mad... i had to explain the evolution once to a girl and was.. "complex"; i use to talk to those crazy dwarfs as they seem to be, omiting the "worst" or "best" parts of the topics depending on their apparent understanding, imo the parents should make the kids read more encyclopedias and watch less Disney movies, they use to catch the things faster that way.

[@EmpoweredPara]

@charles_wipman are you talking about kids lol? Not sure it's politically correct to call them crazy dwarfs lol.....you might offend actual little people haha

[@charles_wipman]

@@EmpoweredPara F*ck those pleople, everyone knows what i'm talking about, and if "they don't want to understand..." f*ck 'em twice; yeah i was talking about the damn kids, it's obvious... you're a mother, you know that i'm right. Heh

[@truthbetold444]

Sorry Teacher, but I don't think your explanation is a good one at all, because it simply is not correct or true. The brain is certainly NOT a "power source" for your legs, which are fueled by the bloodstream and not by electricity. The nerves of the spinal cord are not power lines at all. Their only purpose is carry signals, not to provide power. You say "the kids really seem to understand it" - but what you're telling them is simply not true. So you are not educating them with this explanation, you are actually misinforming them.

[@unknownentity7964]

Maybe it's better to call the brain the computer. As in, the computer sends the messages elsewhere to tell things what to do. Kids these days use computers enough to know that if you cut the cord to the mouse of a computer, the mouse can't connect to the computer, even if the mouse itself works and the computer works. It's not a perfect analogy either, but is a little more scientifically accurate. As a science obsessed kid, I would have just got more confused with her explanation, for the reasons you said. My Disabilty is harder to explain to kids, and I never know how much to tell them, given it's a terminal condition. I don't want to tell them too much ya know. My condition is the mitochondria in each cell are the problem and don't make enough energy and die. Best I've managed to explain, is simplifying it by skipping out the part about my cells, and saying that my body doesn't make enough energy to work properly. Like a phone turns off if its battery dies. Maybe that's too morbid, I don't know. The kids don't generally hear that and assume battery shutting off =death, at least

[@westiepower2020]

@@unknownentity7964 I'll stick with the original explanation. It is the simplest and easiest for young kids to relate to.