Injury

I was in the second grade. We lived in a two family home. My grandparents lived in the downstairs unit, and we lived upstairs. My sisters were gone for the afternoon, so I was in our part of the house alone… but my grandmother was at home. She called me downstairs for something… I don’t really remember what for. I do remember that I fell and couldn’t move my dominant arm.

When my mother got home, we went to the hospital. It wasn’t broken, but it was severely sprained, and I was in a sling for what seemed like forever.

That did not stop injuries, I’ve sprained my ankles, knees, elbows, wrists, etc. more times than I can count.

Why does this one stick out in my mind? It’s the first time that I can remember that I was forced to see what I could do with my hemiplegic side. Turned out, my left side, even with the marked weakness, is stronger and more capable than I ever thought possible. It just takes twice as long and a concerted effort to get done.