Maybe all of us knows that, generally speaking, writing things down helps. It can make a problem seem surmountable or bring about a solution like wiping condensation from a windshield reveals the light of day. It’s a wonderful tool for adjustment to a disability and rehabilitation.

Growing up with a wild imagination, I wrote a very short story on a pad of paper at age eight (before my accident). I knew throughout my childhood that I would become a published writer. Then my accident happened when I was nine, and after that, all I could do was wiggle my toes and blink my eyes; I couldn’t talk or write. Fortunately, my memory and ambition remained intact though, and  within a year, I learned to write; and I communicated that way for a couple of years. The importance of communication fueled my young ambition, and I wrote a short book at age 11. By 12, I obtained a Palatal lift, a device invented by Dr. Donald Kapetansky–God rest his soul–to help me talk, and by 14, I could say every letter of the alphabet even without the device. But to this day, 36 years later, I still rely on my old standby, writing, sometimes to communicate most efficiently.

Please see my post The Power of Humor in the ‘Coping Mechanisms and Other Crutches’ category.