Moving On

If I could write a novel about my experience on the 7th floor at North Memorial,
I could write an entire TV series about my time at Courage Center... and maybe I
will.

I don't no where to start. I could begin with my first visit to Courage...
sleeping Deb, the babbling brain damaged, and the tour... ahhhh the really scary
tour.

I could also start with my first day at Courage. That day I was privileged enough to witness first wheelchair fight (a racist guy with cerebral palsy fought a foul mouthed brain damaged Mexican). I met my first gun-shot victims. I learned about drug use in the disabled community. I met a bizarre group of self proclaimed "freaks" who would eventually become my friends. And I listened to a 65 year old stroke victim snore the night away.

I was in therapy for several hours everyday. Slowly, I grew stronger and more confident.

While at Courage I had four roommates. Snorin' Stormin' Norman- the 65 year old strokie, Myatt- a friendly brain damaged kid my age who was injured falling off of a horse, Eddie- a quad about my age, and Jason- a drug dealer from Chicago who was shot and was rendered a quadriplegic.

After I had enough strength and was healthy enough, tutors from my high school came up to Courage, taught me a few things, and eventually I graduated high school with the rest of my
class. After a summer off I started college at Augsburg in Minneapolis.

Everyday, I rode Metro Mobility bus to College. In between studying and school, I did my therapy.

That was a crazy, stressful, but exciting chapter of my life.

A year after I moved into Courage, I moved back home.

I promise I'll write more about Courage soon. There's just so much to write, it's
kind of overwhelming.

If you want learn more about what I'm up to now visit the About Joey section of JoeyCarlson.com.