“Ability, Not Disability”
Fred Sandberg
Growing up in the mountains of North Central, New Jersey there were many sports I had the opportunity to participate in. We hunted, played soccer, and tennis. Most importantly we all worked. Even with all our school and activities we also worked at the local hotels, soda Shoppe’s, and gas stations. I always lived my life to the fullest. I moved to South Florida with my wife in 1976. We were married for about 1 ½ years and finally settled. In January, 1978 at the age of 24, I took a week vacation to Steamboat Springs, Colorado to ski by myself. Had I only known on January 14, 1978 at around 2pm that my life would never be the same-----it all happened so fast, I could not have changed the outcome even if I wanted to. Here is my story. Injury, Rehab, and Reality
The next thing I know I ended up at St. Anthony’s Hospital in Denver, Colorado after being air lifted off the mountain. There I went through surgery. I ended up as a Para T8/9 complete. I was then air lifted on a flight to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Florida for rehab. It was a 12 hour flight. It was Friday and I lay in a 55lb. plaster upper body cast with hoses and tubes coming out of me where I didn’t even think tubes could go. I was in Spinal Shock! I had the whole weekend to think about my fate. You can’t imagine what was going through my mind. As I lay there on Saturday and Sunday the “Why Me’s” started. Then how stupid could I be for not avoiding that mogul. I remember how weak I felt. I was very angry! I had no idea how I was going to survive in a wheelchair. I was thinking about my wife, family, and friends. How was I going to make love to my wife? How was I going to get in and out of bed and do everything else? All of that didn’t matter anymore because on March 1, 1978 my wife left me. She said she couldn’t handle it. Handle what? Being married to a guy in a wheelchair? At the time I was too busy trying to get my life back together to get angry at her. That would come later
On Monday at 9:00am rounds started at Jackson Rehab and I didn’t know what to expect. I felt like I was hit between both eyes with a bat. Not only was my Doctor there, but all the Interns, PT students, OT students, and Rec Therapists. There must have been at least 30 or 40 people in my room. Dr. Enis read my chart about my snow skiing accident, Para T8/9 complete, Herrington Rods put in, will be here for 3 months – up to 6 months. I stopped him and said, “I will be out of here in less than 10 weeks!” You could hear them laughing all the way to the back of the room. I did prove them wrong! I drove myself the 65 miles home wearing a fiberglass body cast in less than 10 weeks in my 1972 Chevy El Camino. Nobody has ever done that before or since. I have never been back in the hospital for a UTI or a pressure sore since. People don’t change. You have to learn to do things differently. If you were an outgoing person before your injury, you will be the same after. If you were a jerk and a slob before your injury, you will be the same jerk and slob after. I realized early on that you only have one choice – Live your life to the fullest with the highest quality of life! About 2 ½ yrs. later I met a great lady, There were several before her, dates that is. We started going out and continued to date even more. We have been together now for 30 yrs.! She is my best friend, wife, and soul mate. I have to say through thick and thin there is nobody else that I would want in my corner. Daily Living and Living in the Real World
How was I going to get dressed, showered, and use the toilet? I had no use if my legs. How was I going to do all this? How long was everything going to take- 30 minutes or 2 hrs? I would soon learn all of this, how to drive a car, plus a whole lot more! I decided to have the highest quality of life and the wheelchair was just a way to get from point A to point B. If something comes along in my life to enable me to walk again – great, but I wasn’t going to sit around and wait for that to happen. Now you’re in the hospital, rehab, V.A., etc., and getting ready to leave and come home, to what? How am I going to get there? Who can help me get a van or do I need a car? When I get home, then what? Where am I going to sleep? First, how am I even going to get into the house and be able to use the bathroom? How am I going to tackle all these issues and alot of other things that will come up? Some problems you haven’t even thought of or experienced yet. After 33+years of being a “Working Active Injury” I have been there and done that! I can help you with all these needs. When you and your family are still in shock, I can help you with Your needs for your situation. Every injury is different. We will work with any and all the modifications to fit Your needs. With my help, we will get your house, dwelling, office, work station, etc. in order and get you a vehicle. Then move on to the next phase - getting back to school or back into the work force. You also will want to keep up with your PT or go to the gym to work out. Where and how do I get started? Who do I go to? You go to Fred, that’s who! We also have to deal with our family and they don’t know where to turn to for this type of help, not to mention your significant other. They are worried, scared and don’t know where to go for help either. The cold facts sink in. You are no longer an able-bodied person. You are a “wheelchair” user. Believe me, it’s easier to stomach the information from another wheelchair user than an able-bodied person who is walking around and thinks they know what is best for you. Please don’t misunderstand me. I am not talking about a professional, i.e.: your doctor, physical therapist, occupational therapist, etc. It’s usually a friend or family member who thinks they know what is best for you, which is not always the case. What they are trying to do is to protect you, the patient. Again, remember your family is scared and this is their way of protecting you. Guess what? If there is something you want to do, you probably can. I know I haven’t been up to Daytona Speedway yet to race and they offer a course with track time! I will make it there one of these days. Now you want to get back into sports, but which one and how will you do it in a wheelchair? Over the years I have done almost everything. I mean everything! I even used to Hand Glide and can still do it too, tandem of course. I used to race cars and you still can too, as well as marathon racing. It’s not a problem. I’m a retired Pro Marathon racer with several First Place Finishes to my credit. I also hold the Worlds Record for the “7 Mile Bridge Race” in Marathon Key, Florida - 19 minutes and 12 seconds. Maybe you want to play tennis, fish, swim, hunt, or even scuba dive. Do you want to play tennis? Do you know how many types of chairs there are just for wheelchair tennis? What about Quads? You can still play Quad Rugby, dive, hunt, and bowl or do photography. Depending on your level and type of injury will help tell us what you can do and how you will do it. I know Quads that do a lot of different sports! Amputees and stroke victims can all do just about anything they want to. It just may be a little different. Where do I go and how do I approach people for these activities? Sometimes it’s not easy and sometimes it’s already set up for disabled athletes. Most facilities are willing to work with you if you know what to tell them. You have to know what to say, be nice and show them that you know what you are doing. It makes no difference whether you are fishing, playing basketball, snow skiing, waterskiing, or diving. You have to know what you’re doing or be with somebody who does! In a lot of cases I was the Teacher! This helped to open the door for future disabled individuals to be able to participate in all these activities. What I Can Offer You-the End User
Most of all you will always want to have somebody to talk to who has experienced just about everything you are going through and I mean everything! I try to make everybody feel very comfortable. This helps when talking about personal issues, especially in the early days when you’re scared and don’t really know how to ask the questions. In the beginning you don’t even know what questions to ask and even if you do, you may be afraid to ask them. Believe me-this too will pass with time. I am available to help you with all these needs:
Help in the hospital
Help in your Home/Home Modification
Aging in Place & Abilities Expert
Driving
Lectures
Consulting
Peer Counseling
Mentoring ongoing support as long as needed on a Case by Case Situation
Help getting you back in school, if applies
Help getting you back into the work force, if needed
Food and Nutrition
Sports and Exercise (Open Ended if NEEDED) On a Case by Case Situation Including Training
Advocating for you (And others)
Urological Problems (Male/Female)
Assistive Technology Equipment
Contact:
Fred Sandberg
fredfast@aol.com
561-714-8500
