HOME | DD

Description
(This was my original idea for this ‘After’ photo... I decided to try this one too.)

Alice got a gift certificate for a free session at ‘Circus School’ for her birthday - she thought it sounded like a lot of fun, and wanted to try everything she could... she was having a great time, until the trapeze...
In the hospital, they told her the safety harness wasn’t correctly connected. She had launched for the trapeze, as instructed, and missed the catch, then hit the stand pole, hard. It knocked her out, and it broke her neck.
She lay in bed, unable to feel much of anything below her shoulders. It was impossible to describe what it felt like - not ‘numb’ as she imagined numb would feel, but there was no feeling. She could move her right hand some, she could wiggle her thumb a bit, and her right shoulder had decent function, according to her doctor. Her left hand didn’t move at all, and she had less function on her left shoulder, though she could shrug it.

Alice arrived at the overly cheerful rehabilitation hospital still wearing her neck and wrist braces, but she was able to manage driving her wheelchair on her own, which was progress at least. They helped her check in and got her to her room, which had bright yellow walls she instantly hated. She was feeling the weight of it all - she was a quadriplegic now, and no matter how well she did in rehab she would always need help for even basic things like getting in and out of bed.
She felt tears welling up and just wanted to curl up and forget about the world, when a gorgeous redhead in a wheelchair and a staff badge wheeled into her room, turning her wheelchair to face Alice. She smiled wide and... wow she was beautiful.
“Hi, I’m Cathy.” The redhead said cheerfully. “I’m your therapy liaison. We’re going to be great friends!”
“I’ll bet we are.” Alice said, and suddenly she wasn’t feeling quite so hopeless.

Description
(This was my original idea for this ‘After’ photo... I decided to try this one too.)

Alice got a gift certificate for a free session at ‘Circus School’ for her birthday - she thought it sounded like a lot of fun, and wanted to try everything she could... she was having a great time, until the trapeze...
In the hospital, they told her the safety harness wasn’t correctly connected. She had launched for the trapeze, as instructed, and missed the catch, then hit the stand pole, hard. It knocked her out, and it broke her neck.
She lay in bed, unable to feel much of anything below her shoulders. It was impossible to describe what it felt like - not ‘numb’ as she imagined numb would feel, but there was no feeling. She could move her right hand some, she could wiggle her thumb a bit, and her right shoulder had decent function, according to her doctor. Her left hand didn’t move at all, and she had less function on her left shoulder, though she could shrug it.

Alice arrived at the overly cheerful rehabilitation hospital still wearing her neck and wrist braces, but she was able to manage driving her wheelchair on her own, which was progress at least. They helped her check in and got her to her room, which had bright yellow walls she instantly hated. She was feeling the weight of it all - she was a quadriplegic now, and no matter how well she did in rehab she would always need help for even basic things like getting in and out of bed.
She felt tears welling up and just wanted to curl up and forget about the world, when a gorgeous redhead in a wheelchair and a staff badge wheeled into her room, turning her wheelchair to face Alice. She smiled wide and... wow she was beautiful.
“Hi, I’m Cathy.” The redhead said cheerfully. “I’m your therapy liaison. We’re going to be great friends!”
“I’ll bet we are.” Alice said, and suddenly she wasn’t feeling quite so hopeless.