On Walking at the Turn of 23

About a month ago, while we were at the radiology department, there was this beautiful young man. He was pretty much clad in just a singlet, very muscular arms, very well built. But, he was sitting in a wheelchair. I couldn't help but to steal a second look at him, trying not to stare at him too long in case he got annoyed. I mean, well, he is very good looking, but he saw me looking at him the first time.

I was guessing that he probably just had some sprained ankle or something like that. Having a defined body like his, and at his tender age of mid to late 20s, it's quite unlikely that he's got some life-threatening diseases. Unless he has some autoimmune diseases like dermatomyositis that affects the muscles, but his upper body was really well-defined.

Besides, we were after all at the X-Ray department, whereby old frail gentleman came for chest X-ray to rule out infections inside the lungs or mainly people who have fractures in the arms or the legs. So, my biggest bet was that he probably had some fracture, probably due to trauma, that's the most serious that I could think of happening to him.

But really, I just can't help but to look at his muscular arms. Even my colleagues, also a guy, said his arms were to die for. And he's really good looking. Like, really!

His mother pushed him into the X-ray room, and we saw him pushed himself out from the wheelchair onto the bed. The radioprapher put the film beneath his shoulder, probably injury of the humerus, I thought. And the second film was of him lying on his left. Spine.

That's new.

We walked over to his mother who was waiting outside the X-ray room.

We greeted her.

She smiled at us. She must've seen us before they came in.

And finally we asked, in much empathy.

"What happened?"

"Accident, 5 years ago."

"I'm so sorry."

"Resection at his spine, at T1 level. Now Prof K asked us to come for this x-ray, just to see how he's doing. We've been following up here for the past 5 years."

"It was a head collision?"

"Not exactly. It was raining that evening. The road was very slippery. His car skidded at a cornering and hit the tree."

"So there's no turning better ever since?"

"It's a complete resection. Total paralysis of the lower body."

"I'm so sorry to hear that."

"It's okay. We've come through it."

Complete paralysis of the lower body. Can't stand. Can't walk. Can't control bowel opening. Can't control when to pee. His mother is a very mighty woman. Only God knows how many tears she must've shed every night thinking about the state of his son. At such a tender age, yet paralyzed due to accident.

I salute this fine young man. For all we know, many of us must've gone into deep depression and rather die than to live as a physically challenged man. But he came out of it. His arms were spared, giving him hopes in doing some basic activities. And they've been alive for the past five years.

Indeed, they've come from the tougher situation.

Turning 23 today, I ponder; what if I'm paralyzed lower down? Would I still have the will to continue living?

I doubt.

As they walked passed me towards the exit, the young man looked up and gave me the most beautiful smile I've ever seen. The smile of hope and survival.

So deep from my heart, here's a very sincere wish, by any chance you read this, you're indeed an inspiration. Birthdays to most of us are pretty much a commemoration that we are one year older. But any day you woke up and decide to continue living for the past 5 years, were enough to shame us from all those lavish parties we always wanted since young, because life has been so much more meaningful to you every single day than to us in a year.