| THE COST of LIVING by Anthony Rain Starez |
| After my wreck, I was
flown to Washington Hospital Center’s trauma unit to save my life. At that particular
moment I came to a very clear proverbial ‘fork in the road’ of my life, and
without any decision on my part, I could either die like so many others that had faced
this because of terrible car accidents; or, I could live at any cost – no matter what
the damage was done to my body. Understand, it was not my choice, or I might have chosen
death, but somehow my body pulled through the devastating injuries after six months of
recovering in two different hospitals, then practically a year in a rehab center. The real
test came after all that as I had to put my life together as a quad unable to physically
take care of myself with nowhere to live that was accessible. As dramatic as it all sounds, it’s simply the cost of living. The cost of living continues as 28 years later my shoulder is badly damaged and is in constant pain from pushing a chair and doing everything in unusual ways causing undo stress on it. Again, it’s no choice of ours, but if you live, you will pay a toll, and the older you get, the more of a toll you will pay. I have one sister dying of Cancer, another sister in a psych-hospital for trying to run her car head on into another car and a mother who’s losing her memory so bad I have to help her do everything. Still, I love my life, the Sun, my friends, playing music and the job I go to. I continue to have goals and dreams to fulfill, and I’m determined to not go down without a fight. That fight consists of living as content, peaceful and with a normal amount of happiness, but it all comes at a cost. There is no way to avoid the price. If you live, you will pay the price. This is NOT about disability!! This is about YOU! This is about anybody who will live. If you live, you will pay the price. And the longer you live, the more price you will pay.
|