Fear of Freedom

I'm not going to be here forever.  One way or another, they are going to fling me out of rehab into the real world, and probably before I am really ready.  Currently, my tentative launch date is June 19 which is just 21 short days from now. 

Rahalay, my primary occupational therapist, has told me that in the five years she has been working here, she has never seen anyone do what I am planning to do.  Namely, she has never seen anyone with my type of injury go directly from rehab to living independently and alone.

That knowledge and my short countdown to release has me worried.  There's still a LOT I can't do on my own.  It's hard to imagine I'm going to master all of it in the next three weeks before they jettison me out of here.  I'm going to have to use some of those skills to survive in my apartment.  Transferring from my wheelchair into the shower is just one example of a daily activity that requires a tremendous amount of strength and balance, and which has a lot of opportunity for painful failure.  I've only done it once successfully, and the shower in here is much larger, and I had two spotters.

If I fall in here, I may hit the floor, but there's somebody right there to pick me up.  If I fall in my apartment, I could be there a while.  I can take my phone to the bathroom with me, but there's no guarantee I'll be able to reach it after I fall, or that anyone I call will be able to come help me.

I don't want to be the Neil Armstrong of paraplegics.  I don't feel the need to prove to anyone that I am tough enough to roll out of rehab and never need any help from anyone.  The fact of the matter is, I want a safety net for the first month or two, and the only effective safety net I can think of is a warm body in my house.

Not me

I believe what I need is someone who can be present in my apartment whenever I'm attempting my most dangerous activities so that if I get myself in trouble, they can come help pick me up off the floor and untangle my twisted legs.  I believe I am likely to attempt dangerous activities mostly in the morning, but possibly also some evenings.

I can't really pay that much, but I expect to be living in a 2-bedroom apartment in Cary, NC.  I could potentially provide free rent for anyone willing to help me out.  I expect to need the help starting around June 19, and I don't know how long I would want it to last, but I would certainly be flexible.

I'm not entirely sure what sort of person this job might appeal to, but I would think maybe a nursing student on summer break or a college student with nothing going on this summer.  I'd like to find someone responsible enough to actually be there when I need them, but I'm desperate enough to entertain any ideas, so if you have any thoughts, please shoot me an email here: REDACTED