A Letter To Melanie Reid

Melanie Reid is a reporter for The Times from Scotland. Unfortunately about 1 month ago, Melanie had an accident while riding a horse and severely damaged her spine. Melanie is now going through Rehab and is struggling. She has been on a ventilator and she has had pneumonia. But Melanie is on the road to recovery and is coming to terms with her disability. Melanie is starting to write about her recovery. At the moment she is dictating her thoughts. Melanie writes:

In the space of 15 minutes I have gone from someone whom I considered to be a fairly high-achieving mistress of her universe to what looks like a tetraplegic.

Unfortunately, that is often the way it is with a spinal cord injury. Life is going along normally and then, due to a car accident, a sporting mishap or even a nasty fall, life as you know it is over. Melaine also writes:

But there’s no point in dwelling on the might-have-beens of my story — they get you nowhere. Instead, I am facing a long hard process ahead. It’s going to take some months, and there’s going to be a lot of ups and downs. As to the outcome, I can’t guarantee anything — but I’d love to think I’m going to walk out of here.

This is my message to Melanie Reid:

Melanie, the road you are about to travel is a tough, long and lonely road. But you should know that there are thousands of people around the world who are going down exactly the same road right at this moment. You are far from alone. Many, many people have come back from a severe spinal cord injury and are leading rich and rewarding lives. Below are just a few. Listen to their words of wisdom:

Tiffany Carlson: Writer and Website Owner

Erika Bogan: Ms Wheelchair America

Zack Weinstein : Actor