#lifeonwheels

Take control of your diet - Eating Healthy as a Wheelchair User is Essential

What to eat when you are a wheelchair user? It’s very easy to gain weight when you are sitting all day. Especially when you move less than an average person because of your disability. Listen & Learn People who use a wheelchair can find it hard to lose weight because they burn fewer calories through physical activity. If you are new to using a wheelchair, you probably eat as you did before. You suggest you take a serious look at what you eat daily and think about what you tru

1,377 views

Let's Talk About Sex

Can you have sex? Can you have kids? These are very common questions abled people ask me, being a wheelchair user, a paraplegic. The answer is very short and simple. Yes! "Yes, I Can! Being a Paraplegic is No Barrier to Having a Satisfying and Fulfilling Sexual and Reproductive Life" Interview Last week I got approached by a young woman, like myself, from a Dutch national tv show/platform that covers topics on drugs and sex. She wanted to ask me a few questions about having '

3,928 views

The Unseen Consequences of COVID-19: Medical Supply Shortages - A Personal Story

Most of the time I don’t let spinal cord injury related problems get to me. Some problems don't seem big but the butterfly effect is real. Usually It’s been almost four months since european countries went into lockdown with all of the consequences that come along. At first, I thought, as long as I’m safe home I’m fine. But now I’m starting to feel the effect. Normally I order catheters and other medical supplies, that I need daily, and they get delivered at home. But now the

688 views

Labeled and Unlabeled: Diversity and Inclusion: Is One Possible Without the Other?

Every person is unique. And that's your greatest strength. I never fitted in, so I know what being labelled as 'different' feels like. I was always the 'boring or quiet girl' or 'foreign'. Now I am the 'disabled woman'. We all put labels on things, and we are being labelled everywhere we go. It's just how it works. Some of us a more 'boxable' than others but we all bring something to the table. I believe there is good in all of us and that we can all contribute in our own way

657 views

Challenging Myself: A Journey from Paralyzed to Performer

A few days ago I woke up and while trying to get out of bed, during the transfer from my bed to my wheelchair I noticed one of the tires was flat. I could barely roll. I had to get ready for work but I couldn’t even get properly to the bathroom. I couldn’t make a transfer because the brake also didn’t work. That isn’t really safe. It took a couple of hours before It got fixed and I was able to roll again. These wheels are my legs. Right on time it got fixed so I could perform

541 views

Three Years of Living With a Disability - Life Lessons

Discovering the Strength Within: Living with a Disability for Three Years and What I Learned Along the Way My mom texted me this morning and until that moment I didn't realize today is the date, three years ago that changed my life completely. It's the day I've sustained a spinal cord injury. I feel like I want to celebrate that I am still here but I also feel a bit empty. I think back and so much good has happened over the last year. I am truly thankful for that. Life Goes O

840 views

What living with a Spinal Cord Injury

Not knowing what a SCI truly meant, I've found out the hard way. Before I got injured I've never had any health problems. The life before and after an SCI are two different worlds. I used to walk a lot (for fun), my legs used to be my best feature and I took care of my body because believed health was the most important thing. The situation may have changed, my body is different. But in many ways I am still the same. I can't move but I'm moving on Never knowing what a SCI me

1,425 views

Topsport

Traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) has devastating consequences for the physical, social and vocational well-being of the injured person. Living with a spinal cord injury means there is a never a day off. I know having a spinal cord injury is difficult but it brought the best out of me as well. We always have a choice, the way we think has influence on our behavior and surroundings. I often say I don't have a choice, when someone asks me how do I do it, living independent whi

584 views

The airplane experience

A year ago I travelled for the first time by airplane since being in a wheelchair. The first time it was a short flight of 2 hours and I was alone. In the last few months I am glad to add two more flight experiences to my list. The difference I noticed is (now being on wheels) the detailed planning/preparation and the less baggage that I can carry when traveling solo. A week ago I returned from my longest flight so far, being 9 hours on board on an airplane. I could not have

554 views

Domino Effect

We all have good and bad days or weeks. My days are filled with dealing with "accessible". Yesterday and the day before that I couldn't enter my own house because there are people working on installing new cables underneath the sidewalk. All fine but I am in a wheelchair and I can't jump over meter deep holes or take stairs. The entrance was blocked and the people working on it, are not around after they finish for the day or when they take a break. I noticed before that they

741 views

Become a Diamond

For some it's easier than for others but as times passes and situations occur we need to adapt at some points in our lives. Adapting isn't about excepting but about how you deal with it. Being stubborn or being steadfast is a good thing till a certain limit. If I didn't except the fact that I have to use a wheelchair everyday to move I would make life very hard on myself because this is the way it is, and I can't change anything about it. Pain is a reality but suffering is op

431 views

Still Single (& Disabled)

"But you're too pretty to be in a wheelchair" is a comment I often hear. Having a disability is linked to being unattractive, sick or outlandish. It's against expectations when a person in a wheelchair takes care of their appearance. If you can’t comprehend that disabled people are so much more than their disability, your view needs an update. I've had an interview about body image and sexuality a while ago. For more than an hour, I've answered questions about how I experienc

1,152 views

Winning Loser

When people ask you what you do in life, what do you say? It's normal to reply by telling what you do for a living. Right? I feel like I need to keep explaining that when I became paralyzed my whole world changed, my body changed so therefor I changed, also my options and goals. And all of that takes time. Because of all that had happened I'm still looking for what suits me and my situation now. I don't have a job (yet!). I don't feel useless, because I have enough to do, to

467 views

Desexualized

I’m a wheelchair user now. Not by choice. Accidents happen. I got used to using the wheels, but my environment didn’t. Accessibility needs to be improved and, accepting people that are less-abled and treating them equal, needs an even bigger upgrade. One of the things I noticed is that as a woman in a wheelchair you don’t get cat called. I used to experience that a lot before, back when I could still walk. But now it’s a totally different world. I think people see the disable

936 views

I want to Walk Again

Since exo-skeletons are very expensive, starting at 90.000 euros, it's not some amount (most) people just have. So what would you do? Walk (again) or spend that sum on a more advanced wheelchair and products to improve daily life? Both, right? If in the future these skeletons will evolve to a more advanced tool, also suitable for daily usage, maybe.. just maybe, then it will be seen as a tool of value. And the question is, if by that time me and other young people who became

535 views

Purpose

If you are familiar with the Maslow pyramid then you might heard about self-actualization. According to Abraham Maslow, “self-actualization” is the emotional state of a person who is in a position to achieve their highest potential. Self-actualization is something totally different than having a healthy self-esteem. There are lots of people out there who feel good about themselves but are not willing to pay the emotional price of expanding their personality. You cannot become

307 views

Die Trying

Motivation is overrated. To feel the desire to act, doesn't mean you will accomplish. Maybe you have to go though a lot of struggle and end up procrastinating. I feel motivated all the time but then these 'other factors' hold me back. They take over, I feel more frustration than motivation. Game over, the dream or goal goes in the fridge. In my mind they are put on a waiting list, that someday I might come back to, when the situation is more ideal. Some times you hear people

512 views

Adapted Clothing?

Clothes, we all need it to protect our bodies but we also use it to communicate who we are, it's part of out identity. When you have a spinal cord injury there is even more to it. When you can stand for a minute or if you can't move at all, that will effect your wardrobe choices. Personally I wore a lot of jeans before was paralyzed. Now I never wear denim jeans. Jeans have a lot of seems, pinholes, pockets. It's too much risks on decubitus (skin damage) and the struggle, tak

1,424 views

The Bright Side Of being disabled

There must be some positive side to this all. Yes, of course! I believe there is. Being disabled is not always bad. Here is why. Number 1: Most obvious. Yes, the parking privilege. It's nice to park close to the door and have enough space to get the wheelchair in and out of the car. Number 2: Receiving help from the government to get assistance in household tasks and in some cases you may receive financial support because being disabled brings a lot of extra costs. Number 3:

508 views

Motivate Yourself

My skiing accident happened on a Sunday morning in Spain. The operated me 5 days later and I almost didn't make it. My spine was cut open from my neck to my waist area. All my ribs were broken and both my lungs were collapsed. It's a pain I can't describe. After 3 weeks, a day before New Years eve my lungs were stable enough to make a flight back to Holland. I was not eating and I was so high on medication all the time I thought I was in hell. Time went by so slowly, It seeme

919 views