Everybody, Always

When the spinal cord is injured, messages no longer get from the brain to
the parts of our body below the injury. With any spinal cord injury,
there’s damage done immediately and then more damage as the injury
begins to shut down other parts of the body. It’s like a dangerous game of
dominoes. The spinal cord is so specialized it can’t repair itself, and even
the most skilled doctor can do very little to help.
At the hospital, the doctors tried to assess the extent of Karl’s
injuries. They asked him if he knew where he was, who the president was,
and what month Christmas was celebrated in. Karl could talk for the first
forty hours following his injury, but then he lost his ability to speak as his
spinal cord continued to swell. He had many questions, but he had been
stripped of the ability to ask them. Karl felt as if he’d been padlocked
inside his body.
A nurse was busy in his room, and Karl had an idea. He couldn’t
speak, so he started spelling words by blinking at the nurse. One blink
was an “a,” three blinks was an “o,” and so on.
“W-h-e-n-c-a-n-I-w-a-l-k?” Karl blinked out the words to the nurse.
She put down what she was working on, sadness sweeping across her face
as she gently said, “Didn’t the doctors tell you? You’ll never be able to
walk again, Karl. I am so sorry.” Her words hung in the room like a thick
fog.
Karl could feel the tears rolling from the corners of his eyes and down
into his ears. These were the only places he could still feel.
As the weight of her words sank in, it was as if Karl was under water
once again, this time sinking very deep. The nurse came in close and
wiped Karl’s tears away as her own streamed down her cheeks.
Karl then slowly blinked his next message to her. “W-h-en-c-a-n-I-u-
s-e-m-y-a-r-m-s?” The nurse, still sitting on his bed, searched for words.
“Karl, I’m so very sorry. You hit the bottom so hard. You’ll never be able
to use your arms again either.” She stroked Karl’s hair, trying to offer
some comfort, but it didn’t help. Karl’s neck injury had been so massive
and his spinal cord was so damaged, the only things he would ever fully