Actively lead a healthy life, and exercise creates wonderful things - a wheelchair hero's autobiography

Authors: Xie Haixia, Pan Jing; Chief Judge: Zhai Hua

Unit: Shanghai Yangzhi Rehabilitation Hospital (Shanghai Sunshine Rehabilitation Center)

This popular science work is one of the popular science materials in the series "Don't be afraid of spinal cord injuries, there are ways to prevent and rehabilitate them"

A car accident caused complete spinal cord injury in my thoracic region, and I completely lost sensation and motor function below the chest. I was trapped in a wheelchair, like a giant baby, completely dependent on others for care. I didn't even have the ability to choose between life and death.

I came to a place that ignited the light of my life - a magic school that taught me many rehabilitation skills. Here, I learned basic self-care skills and began to be able to take care of my daily life independently; here, I learned various wheelchair skills and gradually became able to travel independently;

Here, I learned how to adjust myself psychologically, began to correctly understand myself after my disability, and became more confident and optimistic. Here, I reintegrated into society and began to work hard to pursue a new life.

My first experience with sports

I started to try sports and, under the guidance of professionals, experienced wheelchair badminton, wheelchair table tennis, wheelchair basketball and wheelchair dance.

Rediscovering sports

Sports have forged my brave and tenacious character, and also given me the quality of surpassing myself, the will to face challenges and the ability to take risks. My injured friends and I began to try more wheelchair sports, such as wheelchair Tai Chi, wheelchair Ba Duan Jin, wheelchair aerobics, wheelchair yoga, etc.

Q: Many people with spinal cord injuries ask: "Can we go to the gym to exercise?"

The answer is: of course. There are all kinds of equipment in the gym, some for training chest muscles, some for strengthening back muscles, and of course some for training biceps and triceps, but it must be noted that spinal cord injured friends need to train under the guidance of professionals in the gym.

Sports have filled my life with passion and vitality, and also given me a bolder idea: Can people with spinal cord injuries participate in some extreme sports? With doubts, I consulted professional medical staff and sports coaches. After a systematic physical examination and evaluation, I finally completed some extreme sports challenges under the guidance of professionals.

Driving Across China

The 7,000-kilometer self-driving trip was the first challenge I completed after overcoming my fear. When I drove with my family from Qinghai Lake to Dunhuang, and then from Qingdao back to Shanghai, in addition to the beauty of the scenery along the way, the feeling of being able to control the steering wheel again was so good!

Up to the sky and into the sea

Deep sea diving and skydiving are my ultimate challenges. When I dive into the sea with a heavy oxygen tank on my back, I feel the beautiful marine life passing by me; when I jump from an altitude of 11,000 feet, I enjoy the feeling of flying freely, which is very touching. The pursuit of my dream has allowed me to successfully challenge the impossible time and time again.

Along the way, I have transformed from a "giant baby" who always asks others for help to a wheelchair heroine who bravely pursues her dreams. I want to use my experience to tell everyone: as long as we take the initiative to live a healthy life, even if we are sitting in a wheelchair, we can still pursue our sports dreams, create a wonderful life, and let our lives bloom with brilliant sparks!