Over the past 12 years as a peer mentor I've come to realize the fact that you need to pay it forward to others who have suffered recent spinal cord injuries like those that have helped you while being in the hospital after suffering a spinal cord injury. Such as when I was in shock trauma for six weeks following my spinal cord injury,a gentleman named John Merry came to visit me and gave me words of wisdom,inspiration and motivation. I was only off the ventilator for one hour a day prior to his visit,but after his visit the motivation that he gave me allowed me to be off the ventilator for six hours the very next day. This goes to show the power of giving someone help in ways such as inspiration,motivation and also giving them hope will give those that have suffered spinal cord injuries the will,the want and the desire not only to live,but to live a high quality life. I've also come to realize that those who have suffered spinal cord injuries that cannot help themselves need help to overcome various challenges that they may face whether they be emotional, physical or spiritual because God will pay you back sevenfold if you help them to overcome their challenges and let them know that they are not alone. It's like a chain where there are several links, because when you have a spinal cord injury then help someone, then the person you have helped some other person who has suffered a spinal cord injury , then that person helps another person who suffers a spinal cord injury and it keeps going on forever and never stops so no one has to be alone after facing a traumatic spinal cord injury.For those people out there that are reading this book that are caregivers you play a big part in someone's life who has suffered a spinal cord injury, because you are their arms and their legs. You cannot realize how much help you are giving them until they pass on and are gone,so you have the time to think while remembering how much help you actually gave that person. I believe that every caregiver out there gives 100% effort to help someone following a traumatic injury that God will bless them sevenfold, so that when they go onto heaven that they will have a special place next to GOD's throne for all they have done to help those that cannot help themselves. While you are helping someone who has suffered a spinal cord injury you have to remember to have compassion, love and a caring heart ,so that when you take care of them and they have an outburst or get frustrated it takes patience and understanding that they don't mean to take it out on you. For instance I have had severe chronic pain and when I get touched or turned it causes the pain to get more intense, so every now and then I would say a cuss word or mumble under my breath which made my caregivers upset with me even though I did not mean any harm to them or to hurt their feelings on purpose.I could go on for hours and hours explaining how much of a blessed man I am for having the caregivers that I have taking care of me right now in January of 2012,but I will just say that God is a gracious God because he put them in my life when I needed them the most. Their names are Tangela, LaTrenda, Angela, Valerie, Barbara and even my roommate Cliff. I started living on my own on December 3, 2011 and now have 24 hour around the clock care which I can say that it is the best care that anyone could ever get in this world. My prayers for those who have suffered spinal cord injuries that need caregivers that they would be taken care of the same way that I am being taken care of, because I know that there are caregivers out there that are only out for their paychecks and and would take care of the person poorly which would cause the patient to end up with bed sores and also being depressed. For all those that are out there that are able bodied and reading this passage I just want to let you know that if you see someone that is paralyzed and needs help please give them the courtesy and help them open a door,get something off a shelf in a store or help them cross the street just to name a few ways you can help them. I would ask you to put yourself in their position when you see them needing help and say to yourself if I was in a wheelchair would I want someone to give me help and just be a nice citizen and help others overcome the challenges that they are having trouble trying to overcome.I say this, because I never thought that I would be paralyzed while living in a wheelchair and needing help to do anything and everything I wanted to do except for breathing, talking and thinking. Who knows what life has in store for us, but God so just take one day at a time and help others who cannot help themselves, because one day you may be that person that needs help now then you will be sitting there in your wheelchair all alone unable to overcome the challenge facing you then you will think back plus realize that you let the person that needed your help back then that you just went about your own business without helping them. Always remember to help someone when you see them needing help , because one day maybe you will be that person who needs help and God will not send someone to help you, because you left that person there all alone by themselves unable to overcome the challenge they were facing. I believe that God will help you if you help others, but if you let someone struggle,suffer or endure a challenge whether it be physical, emotional or spiritual you need to help them get into the five that God will bless the person that helps someone in need. You never know if the person that needs help is God testing you to see whether or not you will help the person overcome whatever challenge him or her is facing God is a just God and will reward us for our deeds that we do good for our fellow man. Remember one day you are going to stand in front of our maker Jesus Christ and you will have to answer for all your deeds that you have done whether they be good or bad and if you forget to help those that cannot help themselves God will remind you that you didn't help those that were in need. Like the Bible says love thy neighbor, so when you're out in public going about your daily routine remember to look out for others that need your help. Remember these words,the person that asks you to feed them,asks you to clothe them or asks you for shelter for the night may have been Jesus,so always remember to help those in need,because one day it may be you that needs all the hel and help others who cannot help themselves, because one day you may be that person that needs help now then you will be sitting there in your wheelchair all alone unable to overcome the challenge facing you then you will think back plus realize that you let the person that needed your help back then that you just went about your own business without helping them. Always remember to help someone when you see them needing help , because one day maybe you will be that person who needs help and God will not send someone to help you, because you left that person there all alone by themselves unable to overcome the challenge they were facing. I believe that God will help you if you help others, but if you let someone struggle,suffer or endure a challenge whether it be physical, emotional or spiritual you need to help them get into the five that God will bless the person that helps someone in need. You never know if the person that needs help is God testing you to see whether or not you will help the person overcome whatever challenge him or her is facing God is a just God and will reward us for our deeds that we do good for our fellow man. Remember one day you are going to stand in front of our maker Jesus Christ and you will have to answer for all your deeds that you have done whether they be good or bad and if you forget to help those that cannot help themselves God will remind you that you didn't help those that were in need. Like the Bible says love thy neighbor, so when you're out in public going about your daily routine remember to look out for others that need your help. Remember these words,the person that asks you to feed them,asks you to clothe them or asks you for shelter for the night may have been Jesus,so always remember to help those in need,because one day it may be you that needs all the help.
