Melanie Reid of The Times (UK)

Fly_Pelican_Fly · 05-13-2010, 08:25 AM

One of the journalists for one of the most prestigious papers in the UK has recently had a spinal injury in a horse riding accident. See her articles (3 so far) here:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/com.../melanie_reid/

Fly_Pelican_Fly · 05-22-2010, 06:42 AM

Melanie's latest article.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/com...cle7128716.ece

swh2007 · 05-22-2010, 07:30 AM

Melanie is doing a great service to all of us. I imagine her journalistic mindset prompts her to want to document her SCI journey when most of the rest of us just couldn't muster the energy or desire to do it. It's surreal reading these articles and thinking--I remember that or I felt that. I pray that she has a good recovery and continues to document her path.

betheny · 05-22-2010, 10:03 AM

I so wanted to do this. It's great that she is, what a great resource that could be for a scared new injury.

swh2007 · 05-22-2010, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by betheny

I so wanted to do this. It's great that she is, what a great resource that could be for a scared new injury.

I think she could be a great resource to the entire SCI community. Many of us have a hard time explaining what this is all about. Apparently, she also has a large readership.

Fly_Pelican_Fly · 05-24-2010, 05:18 AM

Im sure when the time is right, she will become an amazing resource to the global SCI community. There is so much to write about. It never ends. The Times is the most reputable newspaper in the UK. Lets pray for a maximum recovery for Melanie first and continue to follow her work.

Fly_Pelican_Fly · 06-04-2010, 06:42 PM

The latest installment from Melanie.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/com...cle7141687.ece

chris arnold · 12-02-2010, 07:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fly_Pelican_Fly

The latest installment from Melanie.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/com...cle7141687.ece

Have just read this aricle - highly full of insight. If I had read that before injury, it would have changed my perceptions. Hopefully ABs, reading this will gain from it.

betheny · 12-02-2010, 08:21 AM

I think most quads that are fortunate enough to recover some function are wracked w/ survivor's guilt. In rehab, my roommate was a c2 and remained one. I was hobbling and peeing normally in 9 months. But the 6 months of spinal shock, full-on paralysis, changed me forever. Rehab is the grittiest, most grueling and humbling experience I can imagine. (I've never been to prison.) You may show up to rehab thinking you're hot stuff and still bulletproof, but once you shit yourself in the gym a few times, try to sit and flop on your face, sit up and pass out from blood pressure, have your ass hang out in front of cute guys b/c you can't pull your pants up, the hubris is gone. You learn the spinal cord is the boss, what a bitter pill that is to swallow!

Those of us fortunate enough to recover some don't forget the faces of the grown men crying, defeated temporarily b/c their wife visited rehab all sexified with plans to go clubbing after. We don't forget those incredibly resilient kids, making plans to go back to school asap, as soon as they figure out how to do their hair, b/c you can't go to school on a bad hair day, DUHHH. Those kids taught me how to use a computer mouse w/ no fingers. I remember every one of them, we were competitors and cheerleaders and I wish I still had that posse. They actually made rehab fun...

I doubt she'll take any recovery for granted. The only person I ever saw that "recovered" from sci and blithely trotted off to her new suddenly AB life turned out to be one of those freaky internet faker-wannabes. (Even better, her boyfriend wished me a long and painful death b/c I called her out in the chat room. He said I killed her of a heart attack-just as she was preparing to get her leg amputated due to a blood clot! For amusement, search parapal here on CC. She hurt some ppl but that story is SO funny to me now! Murder by chat room

)

I digress.

I have never once said that I worked hard at recovery and not added that I GOT A LUCKY BREAK. And I never will. Another inch, another 10%, rehab taught me a lot about counting my blessings. I've done what I could to pay it forward. This Melanie is articulate and observant. I think she'll do the same.

And FPF, thanks so much for providing this to us. Like Timaru, it amazes me that in different countries, we somehow all had the same experience. Maybe it's like Vietnam vets, they never seem to want to discuss it w/ ppl who weren't there. Yet it was probably the most formative period of their young lives. Despite all our differences-and CC covers the spectrum of more cultures than seems even possible-we all fought the same battles, the same war, in the same trenches. We've seen too many comrades fall due to this confict, and even more fall thru the cracks to addiction, alcoholism, divorce. impoverishment. War changes you, and the one thing we all have in common is that we've fought one. We don't get much media coverage, but those embedded journalists aren't fighting anyway.

Does everybody else get queasy before they start Melanie's latest post, or is that just me?

If she forgets us in her comfy life, we send her nasty emails!

Van Quad · 12-02-2010, 12:33 PM

Fly_Pelican_Fly, let me add to the chorus of thank you's. I started reading yesterday and just couldn't stop.

05-13-2010, 08:25 AM	#1
Fly_Pelican_Fly Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: London Posts: 908	Melanie Reid of The Times (UK) One of the journalists for one of the most prestigious papers in the UK has recently had a spinal injury in a horse riding accident. See her articles (3 so far) here: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/com.../melanie_reid/

05-22-2010, 07:30 AM	#3
swh2007 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Florida, USA Posts: 2,015	Melanie is doing a great service to all of us. I imagine her journalistic mindset prompts her to want to document her SCI journey when most of the rest of us just couldn't muster the energy or desire to do it. It's surreal reading these articles and thinking--I remember that or I felt that. I pray that she has a good recovery and continues to document her path. __________________ 2012 SCINetUSA Clinical Trial Support Squad Member Please join me and donate a dollar a day at http://justadollarplease.org and copy and paste this message to the bottom of your signature.

05-22-2010, 10:03 AM	#4
betheny Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Oklahoma,USA Posts: 18,333	I so wanted to do this. It's great that she is, what a great resource that could be for a scared new injury. __________________ Blog: Does This Wheelchair Make My Ass Look Fat?

12-02-2010, 08:21 AM	#9
betheny Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Oklahoma,USA Posts: 18,333	I think most quads that are fortunate enough to recover some function are wracked w/ survivor's guilt. In rehab, my roommate was a c2 and remained one. I was hobbling and peeing normally in 9 months. But the 6 months of spinal shock, full-on paralysis, changed me forever. Rehab is the grittiest, most grueling and humbling experience I can imagine. (I've never been to prison.) You may show up to rehab thinking you're hot stuff and still bulletproof, but once you shit yourself in the gym a few times, try to sit and flop on your face, sit up and pass out from blood pressure, have your ass hang out in front of cute guys b/c you can't pull your pants up, the hubris is gone. You learn the spinal cord is the boss, what a bitter pill that is to swallow! Those of us fortunate enough to recover some don't forget the faces of the grown men crying, defeated temporarily b/c their wife visited rehab all sexified with plans to go clubbing after. We don't forget those incredibly resilient kids, making plans to go back to school asap, as soon as they figure out how to do their hair, b/c you can't go to school on a bad hair day, DUHHH. Those kids taught me how to use a computer mouse w/ no fingers. I remember every one of them, we were competitors and cheerleaders and I wish I still had that posse. They actually made rehab fun... I doubt she'll take any recovery for granted. The only person I ever saw that "recovered" from sci and blithely trotted off to her new suddenly AB life turned out to be one of those freaky internet faker-wannabes. (Even better, her boyfriend wished me a long and painful death b/c I called her out in the chat room. He said I killed her of a heart attack-just as she was preparing to get her leg amputated due to a blood clot! For amusement, search parapal here on CC. She hurt some ppl but that story is SO funny to me now! Murder by chat room ) I digress. I have never once said that I worked hard at recovery and not added that I GOT A LUCKY BREAK. And I never will. Another inch, another 10%, rehab taught me a lot about counting my blessings. I've done what I could to pay it forward. This Melanie is articulate and observant. I think she'll do the same. And FPF, thanks so much for providing this to us. Like Timaru, it amazes me that in different countries, we somehow all had the same experience. Maybe it's like Vietnam vets, they never seem to want to discuss it w/ ppl who weren't there. Yet it was probably the most formative period of their young lives. Despite all our differences-and CC covers the spectrum of more cultures than seems even possible-we all fought the same battles, the same war, in the same trenches. We've seen too many comrades fall due to this confict, and even more fall thru the cracks to addiction, alcoholism, divorce. impoverishment. War changes you, and the one thing we all have in common is that we've fought one. We don't get much media coverage, but those embedded journalists aren't fighting anyway. Does everybody else get queasy before they start Melanie's latest post, or is that just me? If she forgets us in her comfy life, we send her nasty emails! __________________ Blog: Does This Wheelchair Make My Ass Look Fat? Last edited by betheny; 12-02-2010 at 08:41 AM.

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05-22-2010, 06:42 AM	#2
Fly_Pelican_Fly Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: London Posts: 908	Melanie's latest article. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/com...cle7128716.ece

05-24-2010, 05:18 AM	#6
Fly_Pelican_Fly Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: London Posts: 908	Im sure when the time is right, she will become an amazing resource to the global SCI community. There is so much to write about. It never ends. The Times is the most reputable newspaper in the UK. Lets pray for a maximum recovery for Melanie first and continue to follow her work.

06-04-2010, 06:42 PM	#7
Fly_Pelican_Fly Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: London Posts: 908	The latest installment from Melanie. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/com...cle7141687.ece

12-02-2010, 12:33 PM	#10
Van Quad Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada Posts: 5,497	Fly_Pelican_Fly, let me add to the chorus of thank you's. I started reading yesterday and just couldn't stop.