On Sunday, July 10, I will have reached a milestone. I have not known many
people with severe spinal cord injuries reaching this milestone. On July
10 it will be 50 years post spinal cord injury. In the past, those on the
world of quadriplegics were not expected to reach this milestone. In fact,
in 1968 after 2 ½ years post injury, my parents made the decision to bring
me home from the Elizabethtown Cripple Children’s Hospital. The head nurse
took my father aside and gave him some advice. Her advice, take him home,
buy him a television and wait for him to die. It sounds cruel, but the
thinking in the 1960s was quadriplegics do not survive a long life.
There are several reasons I have reached this milestone, the first is by
the grace of God and second is the Vietnam War. During the Vietnam War the
MASH units were advanced resulting in many soldiers returning home severely
wounded with many spinal cord injuries and our government pushed research
on how to better their lives.
Throughout the years after 1966, many trials, tragedies, blessings and
lessons were learned. The 2 ½ years I spent in Elizabethtown Hospital helped
prepare me for these 50 years. Being exposed to all kinds of children with
illnesses, injuries and birth defects helped prepare me for a life much
different than I would’ve ever dreamed.
Starting a small business in the early 1970s seem to reinforce the fact
that with God’s help I could do anything. I believe that physical issues or
injuries to a person when they are young gives them the stamina and drive to
succeed.
I wanted to work in electronics, but was encouraged by OVR (Office of
vocational rehabilitation) not to go into this field. I always was interested
in electronics and enjoyed making things spark. I told my OVR counselor, if
you were not helping me to take a correspondence course, I would pay for
it myself. The Lord put the need on people’s hearts and I would take money
sent to me in get well cards and put that toward a correspondence course.
After I had completed three quarters of the course, the counselor realized I
was serious and OVR paid the last part of my education.
The Lord always put you in the right place at exactly the right time. In
the 1970s and early 1980s our country had a gas crisis. One of the things
jumping in popularity was the citizens band radio. This was the start of my
journey into the electronics field. The Lord guided me to treat my customers
with respect and honesty. I definitely followed his lead. We migrated from
consumer electronics into business communications, then into the public
service. In 1998, when we sold the business, we had serviced fire equipment
through our mail in division to 49
States.
Throughout the years I learned many lessons, some hard and some easy, but
I learned that God was guiding my life. In the mid-1990s my wife had a hip
replacement surgery go bad and as she was my main caregiver, outside people
were hired taking pretty much everything we had saved. No bitterness, this
is God’s plan, suck it up and follow him. That has been pretty much what I
have done all my life.
The last two years have been quite a roller coaster ride. There were days
that I did not believe I would make it through, other days I felt like I
could lick the world. Things are still happening physically, but we keep our
focus on Him and we take each day as it comes.
I’ve been on the quadlist, probably over 20 years and many times found
information from others helpful.
I’m going to “ suck it up”, 51 is only 365 days away.
Glenn Henry
