Learning to Adapt
My name is Analy and I am a quadriplegic. In April of 2011 I got in a car with a drunk driver who hit a parked flatbed truck and left me paralyzed from the neck down. Life, since then, has been a constant struggle to gain independence. At the time I was paralyzed I was going to school to become an architect. I was so passionate to meet those goals that one of the most vivid memories I had right after the accident was waking up in the hospital with breathing tube down my mouth, wondering when I was going to be able to go back home so that I could finish my school projects. Well, it was not that simple. Little did I know my hands were not working. An architect's most important tool, was gone. When I was finally discharged to rehab I saw the world differently, now, through the eyes of a quad and a designer. I saw a need to reconstruct a person's home to fit their physical needs without sacrificing appealing designs. As soon as I was strong enough I went back to school, got my degree in interior design, and set a final goal of specializing in accessible design. Not having the use of my hands is difficult, however, I've learned to adapt. I'm able to use computer software programs to show potential clients their designs in digital form and a 3D printer to show them something physical. My plans have always been and remained to give back to my community. I want to leave a positive "footprint" in this world and show that my accident was not in vain.
