![]() ![]() In fact, I’d planned to remain busy, happily married, work for another fifteen years, and then retire, doing things that retirees do. I’d suit up and show up, pay my bills, spend time raising my children, and move forward toward a future that did not include trauma. I went to work as a self-employed, self-sufficient individual. ![]() In fact, some might call it downright dull. Like many who have experienced trauma, my life is now split between “before and after.” My life before my accident was average. In addition to PTSD, I live with PCS (Post Concussive Syndrome) as well as the lasting effects of a TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury). My life today feels like an acronym soup, often defined by short bursts of letters that have indescribable effects on my life. While a common misconception exists that PTSD is exclusive to the military community, many who experience different kinds of trauma also live with the daily challenges that come with PTSD. My cycling accident left me with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). I work on a part-time basis, spend time with my granddaughter, and go about my day as many others do. When you see someone in a wheelchair, or perhaps walking with a companion animal, it’s pretty clear that that person may be disabled. Though the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) recognize most hidden disabilities, most of us with invisible challenges fly just under the radar screen of society. The list of invisible disabilities is long: autism, fibromyalgia, PTSD, depression, multiple sclerosis, and many mental illnesses are all part of this family of unseen disabilities. Unlike many who are visibly disabled, I live with what is commonly called an “invisible disability.” Millions of us that live in today’s society face challenges that are not visible to the naked eye. In two ticks of a clock, I went from being fully abled to living the life I live today. I was cycling in southern New Hampshire when a sixteen-year-old driver t-boned me. For the first forty-nine years of my life, I was fully-abled. While there are many people who have lived with lifelong disabilities, I am a relative newcomer to being disabled. ![]()
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