[milosh]

do you help out new paras/quads? i think at some issues we can help them out much more than doctors, OT, psychologists and the others. we live as SCIs while they ''help'' or hellp them/us only as their salaried job... like any other work... it could be performed terrific and fantastic.

[blckchns]

milosh, on Nov 13 2006, 09:03 PM, said:

do you help out new paras/quads? i think at some issues we can help them out much more than doctors, OT, psychologists and the others. we live as SCIs while they ''help'' or hellp them/us only as their salaried job... like any other work... it could be performed terrific and fantastic.

I go to the rehab center I went to and talk with others who might be going through depression. I know how it feels because when I was there, there were no other quads or paras to talk too when I felt like I needed one to talk too one. Overall, it's really fullfilling!

[milosh]

yes! that's what i mean!

[Tarkus]

blckchns, on Nov 13 2006, 09:13 PM, said:

milosh, on Nov 13 2006, 09:03 PM, said:

do you help out new paras/quads? i think at some issues we can help them out much more than doctors, OT, psychologists and the others. we live as SCIs while they ''help'' or hellp them/us only as their salaried job... like any other work... it could be performed terrific and fantastic.

I go to the rehab center I went to and talk with others who might be going through depression. I know how it feels because when I was there, there were no other quads or paras to talk too when I felt like I needed one to talk too one. Overall, it's really fullfilling!

I do the same. Sometimes they ask me to come by for some "Hard Love". At times self pity can be self destructive so I'm there for a little smack in the butt !

[Glor]

I've been looking for a programme here, but there seems to be nothing anywhere near me. I wonder how SCI's cope in S.Africa. Rehab centres are also few and far between. I continue to search.

Its a calling really....I have it.
Glor

[russ1]

I'm group leading a Back-up trust ski trip to America next year which is designed to give newly injured SCI's confidence to get on with their lives. Not entirely altruistic I admit as I do get a two week ski holiday out of it

[lune14]

russ,

Where will you be skiing in the states?

[rosalie]

Hi all,
Here in Israel we have the Disabled Veterans Association - unfortunately most of our new para / quads / amputees etc. are victims of terror attacks or military attacks (such as the recent war in Lebanon). WHat happens here is that the above Association will find a member who has a similar injury to a new para / quad and that member will go visit him in hospital / rehab and try and help out and guide him through the first stages. After rehab, the Association also offers various kinds of rehab sports and they invite newbies to come and watch games etc. and to get involved if they want.
Hope this answers your question Milosh.
Rosalie

[russ1]

lune14, on Nov 15 2006, 04:41 AM, said:

russ,

Where will you be skiing in the states?

We Ski at the nscd (National Sports Centre for the Disabled) at Winter Park, Colorado. I've been out there for the last 3 years now.

[amer]

russ1, on Nov 15 2006, 05:08 AM, said:

lune14, on Nov 15 2006, 04:41 AM, said:

russ,

Where will you be skiing in the states?

We Ski at the nscd (National Sports Centre for the Disabled) at Winter Park, Colorado. I've been out there for the last 3 years now.

My boyfreind was telling me the other day he was really upset he could not ski anymore, I remember thinking of you. I sent him the website, I really hope he looks in to it, I know he used to be a great skiier and can be again. Now only if I could learn to ski.

[hrvoje]

it is good when you can go and talk to a new para or quad, i don't know how is at your countires but here in croatia no one ever come to talk to me, i still remember when doctor came and told me on a really bad way that i am para and explained me what it means i was only 15 then. when i went out from hospital no one in hospital ever told me that there is some assosiations with people like me, no one ever told me thet spazams are normal and thet doesn't mean thet i can move my legs. i was thinking thet my life is over 'casue in croatia still is shame to be dissabled, war veterans are diffrent story. i had to learn all by myself and it was terrible 'cause life of a para/quad person new para/quad can see only in hospitals or in some institutions where they are treat like cattle. the situation is better now 'cause we accomplished thet dissability kids go to regular schools and kindergardens. we still have lots of job but we hope thet in a future, hospitals will alow us to visit new para/quad persons when they are still in hospital and alow us to talk to them and explain them thet their lives are not over. for now i can just help to new people who come to association in my town because we don't know about new para/quad persons until they come to us.

This post has been edited by hrvoje: 16 November 2006 - 02:12 PM

[milosh]

in serbia it's even worse. you had luck with being EU membership candidate and the EU has pushed you to work out on disability issues. also, war veteran's lobby was strong in improving overal sittuation. war veterans are a hot political issue everywhere.

close to my home in belgrade there is a nursing home for elderly and disabled people... it's terrific.

in my high school i was the only disabled within a 10 years period... at the uni [university of belgrade, faculty of philosophy] there were only 2 of us in a W/C. also few more blind.

peer counselling doesn't exist in serbia... and disabled people are isolated... beside myself, i know only a few more paras/quadris living normally. one of them is our famous journalist ivan plavsic, a good mate of mine. he's the only disabled employee in RTS [serbia's national broadcast]. there was a serbian actress called merima isakovic who is a paraplegic. now she lives in new zealand and is teaching something like OT.

[kvadry]

milosh, on Nov 16 2006, 10:02 PM, said:

in serbia it's even worse. you had luck with being EU membership candidate and the EU has pushed you to work out on disability issues. also, war veteran's lobby was strong in improving overal sittuation. war veterans are a hot political issue everywhere.

close to my home in belgrade there is a nursing home for elderly and disabled people... it's terrific.

in my high school i was the only disabled within a 10 years period... at the uni [university of belgrade, faculty of philosophy] there were only 2 of us in a W/C. also few more blind.

peer counselling doesn't exist in serbia... and disabled people are isolated... beside myself, i know only a few more paras/quadris living normally. one of them is our famous journalist ivan plavsic, a good mate of mine. he's the only disabled employee in RTS [serbia's national broadcast]. there was a serbian actress called merima isakovic who is a paraplegic. now she lives in new zealand and is teaching something like OT.

Same problem in Croatia too...Balcan issues... But the question is: How to help people q and para when they have no one to care for them...in both country there is no spinalcenter, no hospital for life care...how is in the rest of the world?????????

[milosh]

care/nursing homes are an outdated concept, kvadry. it's olnly serbia's/croatia's problem that they see us only institutionalised... special schools, nursing homes, ...

people here can't understand that SCI is not mental ratardation.

[kvadry]

milosh, on Nov 16 2006, 10:34 PM, said:

care/nursing homes are an outdated concept, kvadry. it's olnly serbia's/croatia's problem that they see us only institutionalised... special schools, nursing homes, ...

people here can't understand that SCI is not mental ratardation.

Yeah, I read all about it...hee people sim's like ordinarey, but in oure part we are stigmatized by politician, church, waitress (you know what I mean)...no one for no one...

[milosh]

kvadry... it's attitude of many SCI's in ex-YU that has helped it a lot. why i have never had such problems, anywhere, in ex-YU and abroad? it's not that you should cry... it's about taking some actions!

[ParaforGod]

milosh, on Nov 13 2006, 10:03 PM, said:

do you help out new paras/quads? i think at some issues we can help them out much more than doctors, OT, psychologists and the others. we live as SCIs while they ''help'' or hellp them/us only as their salaried job... like any other work... it could be performed terrific and fantastic.

[ParaforGod]

The Rehab clicnic I went to is approx. 2-1/2 hrs. away from where I live so its hard for me to visit there and help. Whenever I hear of someone injured and has become a quad or para I make a point to call and offer encouragement. I try and follow up when they come home. Also Joni Eareckson Tada is a quad who was injured in the 1970's she travels all over the world to tell her story and share the Gospel of Christ. Joni also has a short radio program. She is such a inspiration. She sends wheelchairs all over the world for those who can't get them. I emailed her and told her I want to help others. She sent me a package on how to reach your Community. I have talked to my pastor at church and ask him to help me pray about starting a support group and he said I could use the church. I ask you to help me pray about this. The Doctors tell me Im not suppose to be alive yet the Lord left me here and I just want to do what he left me here to do. If anyone is interested in reaching Joni you can email her at www.joniand friends.org You know it doesn't have to be only a quad or para we can encourage. When others see how we over come our dailey living it can be and inspiration to them in their time of trials. Hope this has helped please keep me in your prayers.
Your Friend,
ParaForGod

[milosh]

a nice post!

God bless you!

[hrvoje]

my opinion milosh and kvadry is thet croatia and serbia should look on slovenia, i mean thet country is good example for us, they slowly making some kind of progress while we all still on the same spot, i also was only student at my colledge in wheelchair, they even asked me if i am capabile mentaly to finished it, in ex yugoslavia dissability problem is specific, i mean we are late about 40 years after the west world. how many public places in our countries we can get in, cinemas, banks, postoffices,libraries, thet place are unavailable to us. and if there wasn't thet stupid war, disabillity kids would be even today hidden in basments and attics. a lots of para/quads live with their pearents and after the pearents gone foor good they are condemned on institutions. did you knew thet in croatia disabillity couple can't adopt a child because their disabillity, but if thet kinde of couple have their own child that's ok. isn't thet ironic?

This post has been edited by hrvoje: 17 November 2006 - 11:42 AM

[kvadry]

hrvoje, on Nov 17 2006, 11:40 AM, said:

my opinion milosh and kvadry is thet croatia and serbia should look on slovenia, i mean thet country is good example for us, they slowly making some kind of progress while we all still on the same spot, i also was only student at my colledge in wheelchair, they even asked me if i am capabile mentaly to finished it, in ex yugoslavia dissability problem is specific, i mean we are late about 40 years after the west world. how many public places in our countries we can get in, cinemas, banks, postoffices,libraries, thet place are unavailable to us. and if there wasn't thet stupid war, disabillity kids would be even today hidden in basments and attics. a lots of para/quads live with their pearents and after the pearents gone foor good they are condemned on institutions. did you knew thet in croatia disabillity couple can't adopt a child because their disabillity, but if thet kinde of couple have their own child that's ok. isn't thet ironic?

100 y. my friend...but I knew one para pair who adopted a child, but he was ex soldier...

[milosh]

action, kvadry, action! you guys need to take more action to improve your status!

hrle... yep... slovenia is a good example SER and CRO should follow. but even in our two countries things are improving. slowly, but improving. public transport in belgrade and zagreb has improved a lot in terms of accessibility. banks? there is only 1 bank in belgrade where a W/C user can go unassisted. our architects have a fetish for stairs! even newly built buildings got 'em.

except war veterans there are not many of us paras/quadris here in YU... most people think of people in a wheelchair as someone with distrophy or cerebral palsy.

in a year time you can spot maybe 10 people in a W/C on the streets of belgrade or zagreb! it's also their fault... if they're more visible and outgoing, the society will become aware that we exist and live!

being mad on others and crying at home can't help... we in serbia say ''he was angry on the other people in his village and cutted off his dick''. ;)

while we talk about disabled and ex-YU i just wanna tell a mad joke.

serb, croat and bosnian muslim were talking about sports.

serb: we are the world's champions in basketball!
croat: we're better in football than you're!
bosnian muslim: we have a good paraplegic basketball national team!
serb and croat: and who has made it? ;)

yeah... disabled are often hidden... in belgrade i have a very good friend... i visit her often while in the town. we didn't knew that her first neighbour is an amputee. we've found it out while the first aid came to bring him to a hospital.

here in our beloved yugoslavia disabled people easily fall down and loose their spirits.

[hrvoje]

milosh stari moj, thet joke is great!!! something is good in croatia, every year we have festival in zagreb called the same oportunitiies festival, where disability play basketball and other staff, you can buy books etc. and it last for whole one week, disabillity student assosiation called Korak even had a protest called we are also here,when their president was smash by a car(ironic,wheelchair saved his life)'cause cars are parked on a sidewalk so you must go on a very traffic road to come to faculty of philosophy, one women said thet she can't belive thet there so many young disabillity people. things are improving in croatia only thanks to active para/quadries, ussualy disabillity students, but it is not enough, i agree with you thet we should go to town, i am familiar in my town,'cause im out all the time, and everybody knows me, but i also know thet in my town there a lots of para/quadries who sits at home and waiting i don't know what. so kvadry, milosh is wrighte, evryone of us must make a move, just one move and get out from house. we must be seen, so people will realize thet we are here,in their presence, thet we are their neighbours, not some marginalized people who lives in institutions far away from towns and their sights. you should ask your friends(if you have them,cause a lots of para and quadries in croatia lost contact with old friends after the accidente and never found new) and go out to caffe bar,disco, i lost my all friends,but i found new,you just must get out from house. thet is all,it is scary,it was for me, but you must do that.

[milosh]

there are such activities in serbia as well... but it doesn't help a lot... what more helps is if we individually make ourselves visible.

such events are just yet another parade, like any other...

sure, it's better than nothing.

[hrvoje]

guys, i mean kvadry and milosh i have one idea about this topic, why we don't transferre it on our site,cause here only 3 of us are argumenting about same old balcan issues, and we can do thet on our site on our languages,where some of us(read me) can make a better expression of thoughts

[milosh]

a nice idea, hrle. ;) i've already started such topic there certain time ago. so, feel free to post.

[wheeliebear75]

I have not had the opportunity to help any newlies. I can say however that when I was injured the ONLY ones that could help me were those already in chairs. What can I say I was 14 and PO'd @ the world that could still get around and walk. Anyway to make a long story short it was only by seeing for myself that there was life after chair. I got some ability to walk back(just enough to get me from my bed to my bath and at the same time ass myself out of insurance paying for chairs ). The bottom line though is that those of us who have already adjusted to life with SCI can help those who need too in a way that nobody who has only a piece of parchment on their wall can. Hope this helps.


quote name='milosh' date='Nov 14 2006, 02:03 AM' post='21951']
do you help out new paras/quads? i think at some issues we can help them out much more than doctors, OT, psychologists and the others. we live as SCIs while they ''help'' or hellp them/us only as their salaried job... like any other work... it could be performed terrific and fantastic.
[/quote]

[rkzenrage]

Just the thought of having another para around, especially someone who has been doing this longer than I to talk to... there are no words.