The Games

It's amazing how one good day can turn your spirits around completely.

Friday began at 5:30 AM, when my alarm clock went off and I rolled out of bed to get ready for clinicals. Two reasons made this already a better morning. 1) I got to sleep in for 20 minutes (usual Th/F wake up is 5:10 AM) and 2) I didn't have to wear my whites to the hospital! #1 came as a direct result of #2, as I somehow rationalized that a pair of comfy jeans and a T-shirt took less time to put on than my normal uniform (completely with sqeaky white shoes).

Anyway - the reason behind the treat of wearing street clothes to the hospital was that yesterday was the annual Spinal Cord Games at Rancho (that's a link to the hospital's website, btw). From 7:00 - 3:00, we were with patients either participating in or observing the games. It was a great experience, truly humbling. I'm taking a class on the Theology of Suffering and Disability this semester, so much of what we have dealt with so far has been related to how disabilities are often most difficult because of the sociocultural implications. As one man put it, "I may be crippled, but you [ie culture] makes me disabled." Being around at least 100 men and women in wheelchairs all day made me see exactly what that man meant. At the games, no one judged them. No one feigned pity or looked at them differently.

I learned how to better throw a football from one of my patients. Thanks to a motorcycle accident, he lost use of his legs and most of his arms (though he's getting stronger). With my shoulder, I wasn't great at the throwing part - but we were a team. He threw and sometimes caught, I did a lot of the running to grab the footballs that were without of his reach. I could see his frustration at not being able to do more - as he played football a few years ago in high school - but also saw his eyes light up when I asked him to teach me how to improve.

Through all of it, I saw the beauty of the human spirit and found myself humbled. I know for a fact that I can't play football or basketball as well as some of them can, nor can I go through an obstacle course in under 1:00 in a manual wheelchair (complete with stairs, 360s and more).