A Look Back on 2014


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I’ve never really been a New Year’s resolution type of person. I wouldn’t be able to follow through with it anyways I figure, so why bother. I never do. But I do like to look back on my year just like the news, with all of the most noteworthy news clips from the year strewn together like an epic tale.

And 2014 was quite the year for this world we live in. Many important things happened this year, and one of the most important for the disability world — the news that came out of Poland where a man with a complete spinal cord injury was cured for the first time ever. I waited 21 years for this kind of news, and it finally happened.

While I am not the one in the news walking with a smile on her face, to be alive to hear such news is huge. I always dreamed of such a thing would happen, and while there are some questions still lingering about this miracle cure, it seems like it’s the real deal. Now if only doctors could work together to bring this cure to the masses. I really don’t feel like waiting around for another 21 years.

And then you have the great news regarding exoskeletons, in particular ReWalk. The FDA approved this exoskeleton for use this year, the first one ever, and in the process it opened the door for this technology to be used by the mainstream. Hopefully we will now see more exoskeletons in everyday life being used by Americans. 2015 might look mighty interesting.

In my own world, I moved, I hired and fired a handful of PCAs, I went on at least 12 botched first dates and I landed a great new job this year. 2014 was definitely a year of transition for me, which as a quadriplegic I badly needed. I get a bit of cabin fever doing the same old thing each day; same place, same job, year after year. It’s always good to have change.

But maybe you can relate — I can’t believe how fast time is flying by. How in the world is it already 2015? Life needs to slow down, but I guess that’s out of our control. As I get older, I may not be able to slow time down but I do know there’s one thing I can do, and that’s enjoy each moment, to savor them.

How do you measure a year well-lived?


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